A Force of Nature: Part II
by SayidRocks
Summary: Reid must help his friend Daniel deal with a stalker who has tried to kill him once and may try again. The BAU tries to protect Daniel and profile his stalker before it is too late.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **See my profile.

This story, while it can stand on its own, is also a continuation of my story '_A Force of Nature_'. This story picks up several days after the end of that story.

/\/\/\/\

'_**A Force of Nature: Part II**_'

Chapter One

/\/\/\/\

The elevator doors opened and Derek Morgan walked into the BAU. He called out a greeting to several people he passed on the way as he headed to his desk. He saw Reid already sitting at his own desk, which wasn't a surprise. "Good morning, pretty boy."

"Morgan, _must_ you refer to me as 'pretty boy'?"

"Yes, I must." Morgan leaned back in his chair and looked at Reid. "You okay, kid?"

Reid shook his head. "I don't know, Morgan. I'm a little concerned about Daniel."

"Any particular reason?"

Reid sighed. "I talked to him yesterday. He wanted to let me know he had gone and taken that achievement test. He felt like he did well, but he won't know officially for a couple of weeks. He mailed out college applications to Oxford, Columbia and the University of Maryland. They'll also get the test results. And I also know he and Garcia set a date for going out dancing. What I'm concerned about is he received another letter, but he won't tell me what the letter said. I don't even know which stalker it relates to."

Morgan sighed. "At least he's communicating. I don't understand why he would tell you all that but not tell you more about the letter."

"I think he's kind of in denial. If he doesn't talk about it, it doesn't exist, you know?"

"After everything that's happened already he should know better than that."

"He should…"

"Reid, can I ask you something? Why hasn't Daniel been seeking out a program within Russia for Russian Literature?"

Reid shrugged. "Believe it or not the best rated programs are outside of Russia."

"Hunh. So, when is this big date with him and Garcia going to a club?"

Reid laughed. "Friday evening. They want me and Karyn to come along. I keep telling Garcia I can't dance and I don't want to embarrass myself trying to pretend I can."

"Unh, hunh… Karyn the waitress. So, how was your little breakfast date yesterday?"

"That's none of your business, Morgan."

"Is she still talking to you?"

"_Yes_, Morgan."

"Then I guess it must have gone okay." Morgan leaned forward. "How come I haven't been invited along on this little soiree?"

"What little soiree?" Prentiss asked, as she walked over and set a cup of coffee down on her desk.

"Daniel and Garcia going out dancing."

"Ah! When is that happening?"

"Friday night, and Garcia didn't even let me know. I found out from Reid, who apparently was invited along, although I was not."

"I see. Apparently I haven't been invited along either, because it's news to me."

"What's news?" JJ said, coming out of her office with a stack of folders.

"Garcia and Daniel are going dancing. They invited Reid, but not me and Morgan."

Morgan stood up. "I'm going to go find out from Garcia why I'm not invited along."

"Maybe it's because the world doesn't revolve around you?" JJ teased as he walked away and she headed for Hotch's office with her folders.

"Ha, ha!"

A few minutes later Morgan returned to his desk and sat down. "Well Prentiss, it appears I'm invited, in fact we're _all_ invited; you, me, JJ and Will, Rossi, and Hotch. That is, we're all invited as long as we promise to behave and not poke fun at anyone's dancing ability or lack thereof." He turned toward Reid with a grin.

"Morgan, why are you smiling at me?"

"No particular reason."

"Unh, hunh. Well, just remember I will already have a beautiful woman with me, and you'll have to seek one out who is willing to put up with you."

"Hey, dance clubs are my specialty," Morgan joked.

/\

Friday morning the team had barely arrived when JJ walked down into the bullpen to gather them. "Can I have everyone in the conference room, please?" she told them. She headed for Garcia's office. "Can you come to the conference room please, Garcia?"

Five minutes later the group walked into the conference room to see Rossi and Hotch waiting for them. "Ladies and gentlemen, care to guess who I just got off the phone with?" Hotch asked his BAU team.

"Who?" Reid asked.

"John Walsh, from '_America's Most Wanted_'. He wants to do a segment about the capture of Dolby Carriol on the show because he was on our Ten Most Wanted List. The show's crew will be coming into the BAU and shooting some scenes here. The rest of the segment will be shot on location at the gas station where Reid took Carriol down, with a few scenes shot in Bermuda." Hotch looked directly at Reid. "Walsh also wants to have you appear in the studio on the show."

"Me?" Reid squeaked.

Morgan laughed. "What's the big deal, kid? John Walsh has been in here before to film segments for '_America's Most Wanted_'. You've been introduced to him."

"Yes, but I've never actually been on the show before."

"You are responsible for Carriol's capture, Reid. And of course, they also want Daniel on the show," Rossi added.

"Oh!" Garcia said excitedly. "Can I be the one to tell him about it?"

Hotch couldn't help smiling. "I guess I can give you that, Garcia."

"I'll tell him tonight when we go out dancing! Or maybe I'll tell him at lunch today when we go shopping! This is _so_ cool!"

/\

Early Friday afternoon the Emergency Room at Georgetown University Hospital was not that busy. There were people sitting in the waiting room, but the air was one of relative calm. The staff enjoyed breathers like this one as much as they could since they certainly did not get them very often. Outside the building a metallic blue vehicle parked haphazardly in a spot as close to the building as its driver could manage. The driver climbed out of the car and briefly leaned against the side of the vehicle before staggering toward the building. Blood was visibly dripping down his left arm as he managed to walk through the Emergency Room door. Two interns stood just inside the door talking as he came in. "Sir?" one of them said upon seeing him. "Are you okay?" He looked at the intern before collapsing onto his knees. As each of the interns grasped onto one of his arms they noticed the blood dripping down his arm and more seeping through the front of his shirt.

/\

"Reid, something is wrong! I know it!"

"Garcia, I tried calling. There was no answer."

"I know Reid! I must have called half a dozen times already."

"What's up?" Morgan asked, as he arrived back at his desk after lunch Friday afternoon to see Garcia talking to Reid, who was sitting at his own desk.

"Daniel was supposed to go shopping with me during my lunch break. You know, for a new outfit for me to wear tonight? He never showed up, and I can't reach him on the phone."

Morgan shrugged. "Maybe he forgot."

"No. There's no way he would forget. I just talked to him this morning. We even joked about the fact you all might be called off on a case and miss tonight just because you haven't gone anywhere for a few days. He said it would be fate or something."

"Okay. Well, I'll try calling him." Morgan picked up his phone and dialed Daniel's home number. "Straight to voice mail. I'll try his cell phone… Same thing. _Hey Daniel, it's Derek. What's up? Give me a call back, okay_?" He hung up and looked at Garcia. "I don't know, Baby Girl."

"I've left half a dozen messages like that in the last couple of hours," Garcia said, clearly upset.

"If we don't hear from him within the next couple hours I'm heading straight over there after work today," Reid said.

"I'll go with you," Garcia added.

"Is something wrong?" Hotch asked. Garcia turned around to see him and Rossi standing behind her.

"Daniel didn't show up for our lunch date and none of us can reach him."

"Maybe he forgot?" Rossi said.

"I don't think so, Sir."

"Between the three of us we've left him a dozen voice mails on his home and cell phones," Reid said. "At the very least he should be calling and yelling at us for bugging him."

Hotch was silent for a moment. "Ordinarily I wouldn't worry too much about something like this. However, given the circumstances of his stalker…" He thought for a moment and then pulled out his cell phone. "JJ, its Hotch. Can you please call the D.C. Police and ask them to do a welfare check on Daniel Meier?" He listened for a moment. "Thank you. Please let me know the minute you hear anything."

"Thank you, Hotch," Reid said. "Garcia and I are going to go over his house after work and find out what's going on."

"Good idea," Hotch said, as he and Rossi headed for their offices.

Reid, Garcia, Morgan and Prentiss all looked at each other after the two men left. "Okay," Morgan said. "Let's all try to relax and get some work done. I'm sure everything is okay."

"Do you mind if I sit with you for a while?" Garcia asked anxiously.

"Of course not, Baby Girl. Just pull up a chair."

Half an hour later Hotch came out of his office and walked back over to their desks. "D.C. police just stopped by Daniel's house and received no answer when they knocked. They were able to see inside the garage and determine his car was gone."

"I don't know if that's good or bad," Reid said. He looked at Hotch. "Garcia and I are going over there after work to check on Daniel."

"Reid, I have a bad feeling about this. Don't wait until after work. Go now. And call me as soon as you find anything out. Yes, Garcia, you can go with him."

"I'll go get my purse."

Reid saved what he was working on and turned off his computer. Just as he reached for his messenger bag JJ came rushing out of her office and over to his desk. "Spence, what kind of car does Daniel drive?"

"A Lexus RX Hybrid. Why?"

"What color is it?"

"Kind of a metallic grayish-blue. JJ, what's wrong?"

"One of my contacts with the D.C. Police just called me back. An unidentified man just stumbled into Georgetown U's Emergency Room. The only thing they knew was that a security guard saw him get out of a blue Lexus; so the department ran the plate and its Daniel Meier's car. I was hoping they were wrong, that's why I asked you about his car…"

"JJ, why is he at the Emergency Room?"

"He's bleeding from several stab wounds, Spence."

"Oh, my God!" Garcia gasped, her purse dropping forgotten to the floor.

/\/\/\/\

A/N: I had to tweak this chapter a little bit and then repost it. I realized that I wanted the mention of '_America's Most Wanted_' to be in chapter one, so I had to do a slight rewrite.

4


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** See my profile.

A/N: If you read the first chapter of this story when it was originally posted, I added something to it and then reposted it.

/\/\/\/\

'_**A Force of Nature: Part II**_**'**

Chapter Two

/\/\/\/\

"Several stab wounds?" Reid said in shock. "What the hell happened?"

"I don't know, Spence. They've only now even identified him. All I know for sure is he's in the Emergency Room at Georgetown U."

"Garcia, calm down!" Morgan said, jumping up to assist his friend, who was starting to hyperventilate. He picked her purse up off the floor and handed it back to her. "Look, go now. Go with Reid. Get over there and help Daniel. I'll go talk to Hotch."

Reid grabbed Garcia's arm and said, "Let's get over to the hospital, okay?" Garcia took Reid's arm and the two of them left immediately.

An hour later Garcia and Reid were pulling into a space in the parking garage at the hospital and then rushing into the Emergency Room. "Excuse me," Reid said to the nurse at the reception desk. "My name is Agent Spencer Reid." He flipped open his badge and showed it to the nurse. "I believe you have a witness of ours here. His name is Daniel Meier. He came in with several stab wounds?"

"Oh yes, Agent Reid. He _is_ here. However, he's still in Intensive Care being treated. He hasn't been assigned to a room yet."

"Is he going to be okay?" Garcia asked.

"Are you a relative, miss?"

"Uh, no, I'm not. But…"

"I'm sorry. I really can't release any information on his condition."

"Mr. Meier is a witness in a federal investigation. It is possible his stabbing was related to our case. We need to provide him with immediate protection and also to speak to him as soon as he is able," Reid said firmly.

"I'll speak with the doctors and get right back to you on this." A long few minutes later the nurse returned to the desk. "It seems your supervisory agent has already spoken to the physician in charge and I've been instructed I can release information only to Mr. Meier's family or to the F.B.I. I've been told that means you, Agent Reid."

"Thank you. Has his family been notified?"

"Apparently despite his injuries Mr. Meier has been requesting they not be told until he speaks to you specifically, Agent Reid."

"Do you know when I'll be able to do that?"

"Dr. Pierce said thirty minutes minimum. We also will be assigning him to a private room where the security you mentioned can be provided."

"Do you have a gift shop here?" Garcia asked. "I'd like to get him some flowers or a balloon or something."

"Yes, it's in the main building on the first floor."

"Should I go Reid? I don't want to miss seeing him."

"Yes, go ahead. You won't be able to see him until after I talk to him anyway."

Thirty minutes later Reid was still waiting to talk to Daniel. Garcia had come back from the hospital's gift shop carrying three Mylar balloons, a bouquet of flowers, a plant and two teddy bears. "These were the only balloons they had that were appropriate, and they didn't have many flowers."

"I'm sure that will be more than fine, Garcia."

"I know what room he will be in now. I can have someone take you if you would like to bring those," the nurse told Garcia.

"Thank you very much."

As soon as Garcia walked away with a hospital volunteer a doctor came out to speak with Reid. "Agent Reid? I'm Dr. Pierce. If you'll come with me you may speak with Mr. Meier now."

"Thank you." Dr. Pierce walked with Reid down the hallway as he informed him of Daniel's condition. He had suffered seven stab wounds; two to his left arm, one to his right arm, and four to his chest and torso. Luckily no vital organs had been hit, but the wounds to his chest had been fairly deep and required stitches to close. Daniel had lost a significant amount of blood, and would require a hospital stay of several days. He was sore and bruised, but not in a significant amount of pain.

Once they arrived at the ICU Dr. Pierce provided Reid with a mask and gloves and added, "We'll be moving him in a few minutes. You can speak to him here until we're ready."

"Thank you again, Dr. Pierce."

Daniel looked up when Reid walked into the room. He looked exhausted and had dark circles under his eyes. "You look great," Reid cracked.

"Very funny, Spencer. I feel like shit."

"That's pretty much what you look like."

"Thanks a lot."

"What's this about you won't tell your parents until you talk to me?"

Daniel sighed. "Spencer, you have to help me figure out how to tell them without having them rush over here. If they come I'll have to explain this whole stalker thing, and they'll be extremely upset and spend all their time worrying about me and what's going to happen to me. My dad is doing very well, but he doesn't need any extra stress on his plate, you know? I can't have them finding out what really happened."

"I get that, Daniel. But you're a celebrity. If the press gets ahold of this there won't be any way to prevent them from knowing."

"Maybe we can convince the press it was a mugging or something. That's what I'm going to tell my coach since I'll miss at least a week of training. I can keep my parents from freaking out too much if they think someone just tried to steal my wallet or something. I can tell them the truth later when this is all over with."

"I don't know Daniel." He thought for a moment. "I suppose it _would_ help with the federal stalking case if too much information didn't get out in the news yet."

"Maybe JJ can help with the Press?"

"I can ask, I guess."

"Agent Reid?" Reid turned around to see an intern standing behind him. "We're ready to move Mr. Meier to his room now."

Reid nodded. "I'll see you in your room in a few minutes, Daniel." As soon as he walked away from the I.C.U. Reid called JJ and told her what Daniel wanted. She agreed to try and use her contacts and knowledge to keep the truth out of the Press. Reid then called Hotch and informed him of Daniel's condition and also of his request to keep the truth from his family and the Press. Hotch agreed it might be the best thing to keep as much information as possible out of the newspapers, and suggested Reid call Daniel's parents as soon as possible. After hanging up with Hotch Reid thought for a few moments, and then sighed and called Daniel's parents.

/\

"This was a hell of a stunt to pull just to get out of going dancing," Garcia teased. She was sitting in Daniel's hospital bed with him on his right side. The two teddy bears sat to his left.

"Penelope, I told you I have no rhythm off the ice. But I would never try to get out of a date with you. I love spending time with you."

"Oh, thank you, Daniel! That's so sweet of you to say!"

"Hey guys," Reid said, walking into the room. He didn't act at all surprised to see Garcia up on the bed with Daniel as he looked around the room. "Hey, this is pretty nice, Daniel. You have your own bathroom and a couch and everything. The balloons and stuff look really nice, Garcia." He sat down in a chair before continuing. "Okay Daniel. I called JJ and she's going to do what she can. I called Hotch and he agrees it's a good idea to keep some information out of the Press if we can. I also called your parents and told them someone tried to steal your wallet and your cell phone after you left the CVS store, but they didn't succeed. I said I was with you at the hospital and you were fine, and that no they did not need to come down here. I know I've held them off until at least tomorrow morning, but at this point the rest is up to you."

"Thanks, Spencer. I'll go ahead and call them now. I feel terrible lying to them, but I just can't face telling them the whole truth right now."

/\

"Hey Daniel," Morgan said, poking his head into the room a little while later. "Can we come in?" At Daniel's nod he and Prentiss walked into the room. "You didn't waste any time, did you, Baby Girl?" he laughed, seeing the balloons and other items decorating the room.

"I had to make the room special for Daniel."

"How are you feeling?" Prentiss asked.

"Okay, considering I have seven stab wounds and could have died."

"Actually, you know, unless the weapon used damages some vital organs, most deaths due to stabbing are not due to the wounds themselves. Instead they are due to exsanguination." All four of the other people in the room turned to look at Reid.

"Spencer, why can't you just say people bleed to death?" Daniel said.

"And why would you bring that up now in the first place?" Prentiss asked. She looked back at Garcia. "Nice and comfy are you, Garcia?"

"Why yes, I'm just perfect, thank you very much," she said, hooking her arm through Daniel's.

Everyone in the room turned at the sound of a knock at the door. "Hi," Karyn said, walking into the room. "These are for you," she added, handing Daniel a bouquet of flowers with a 'Get Well Soon' balloon attached to them. She looked at Reid, and then smiled. "Hi, Spencer," she said leaning against him like she had at the bar.

"Thank you, Karyn. That's very nice of you. Emily, would you mind?"

"No problem," Prentiss said, taking the flowers from him and adding them to the vase with the other bouquet Garcia had brought.

"Uh, everyone, this is Karyn," Reid began, blushing slightly. "Karyn these are my friends SSA Derek Morgan, SA Emily Prentiss, and technical analyst Penelope Garcia."

"Oh! You're Penelope? Oh, I have wanted to meet you! I've heard so much about you from Spencer and Daniel!" Karyn reached over Daniel and shook Garcia's hand eagerly.

"It's nice to meet you since we weren't able to go dancing tonight."

"I know! Can you believe Daniel pulling something like this on this particular night?"

"What? I didn't _pull_ anything!" Daniel protested.

"Don't even bother," Morgan laughed as the two women continued talking back and forth.

After only a few minutes Karyn said she had to go. "I'm only on a lunch break from the bar. I just wanted to stop by quickly."

"I'll walk you to your car," Reid offered.

"Okay. It was nice meeting you all, especially you, Penelope!"

After Reid and Karyn had left the room Morgan whistled. "Damn, that girl is fine. I didn't know the kid had it in him!"

"So, are you jealous Morgan, or just surprised he could actually get a girl?" Prentiss teased.

"Are you kidding, Prentiss? There are at least six female agents I know of in various departments over at the Bureau who would love to get next to our boy genius. All he has to do is pay attention, which he seldom does."

"Well, I guess Karyn likes him," Garcia commented.

"Yeah," Daniel added. "If only she could be a little more direct about it; then she might get somewhere with him." Morgan laughed at his words.

Outside the hospital, standing next to her car, Karyn had her arms wrapped around Reid's neck as she kissed him. Reid had his hands on her waist and was kissing her back, oblivious of the people who were walking by and smiling at the couple. Finally she broke away and smiled. "I planned on doing that after we went dancing; but since we probably won't be going for a while…" She opened her car door and said, "Good night, Spencer," before climbing in and starting the engine. "Call me tomorrow, okay?"

"Uh, yes, I will. Good night."

When Reid returned to Daniel's room Prentiss and Morgan were preparing to leave. "See you later, Daniel," Morgan said as they headed out the door. "Good night, Pretty Boy," he said to Reid.

Prentiss patted Reid on the shoulder as she passed him and commented, "You might want to wipe that lipstick off the collar of your shirt." Reid blushed, looked down at his left collar and then rushed into the bathroom, accompanied by Daniel's laughter and Garcia's giggles.

/\

Daniel looked at Hotch as he walked into the room and groaned. "I can see you're glad I'm here," Hotch remarked dryly. He looked briefly at the balloons and flowers and smiled.

Daniel sighed. "I _know_ you're going to lecture me, Hotch. That's why I'm so happy to see you." He folded his arms across his chest before continuing, "Okay, Hotch. Go ahead. Tell me how stupid it was for me to kick you guys out of my house and drop my protection. Tell me how it was all my own fault this happened."

"I didn't come here to lecture you, Daniel."

"Then what?"

"The first thing I'm going to do is tell you the protection detail is back on. I don't really care whether you like it, it is going to happen. You are stuck with us whether you want us or not."

"So, what I say doesn't mean anything?"

"In this case, no, it does not."

"Hotch, how do you know this was my stalker?"

Hotch sighed. "Daniel, I know this isn't easy for you to deal with. It isn't easy for anyone. It certainly wasn't easy for me to deal with, despite what some people might believe. However, denying what really happened won't help. It won't change anything. You know as well as I do, this was _not_ a mugging or a random attack. Your wallet and your cell phone were in your car untouched. You can deny it all you want, but you know, based on what you've already told the D.C. Police and Reid this was _not_ random." When Daniel opened his mind as if to speak Hotch raised his hand to silence him. "Let me finish, please. You told the police you were attacked as you walked around a corner from a CVS drugstore to your car. And you also told them there were two attackers, one male and one female. You said the only reason the attack stopped is because someone came walking around the same corner and surprised your attackers, who then ran off. You then managed to get to your car and drive here. You also told the police the female said it was 'payback time'." Hotch leaned forward and spoke more softly. "Daniel, you _know_ this was your stalker."

Daniel grimaced slightly as he raised his arms to rub his temples. "Okay, okay. I know you're right, Hotch. I admit it." He was silent for a moment. "I _know_ how close I came. I just…want this to all go away."

"It doesn't work that way, Daniel. You know that." Daniel nodded slightly and Hotch sat back in his chair. "We have an F.B.I. sketch artist out in the hall. We'd like to have you work with her on a sketch of each of the two suspects."

"I already did sketches with the police."

"I know. We have them. We're going to do another set with our artist, compare them and then put the two side by side before we release them."

"Okay. I guess I can handle that."

"You have police protection outside, plus the regular hospital security. They will be here all night. This is a private room, and Reid will be staying here as well. He always carries a go bag in his car, so he can use that tonight. I don't think I'll be able to convince Garcia to leave, either."

His statement regarding Garcia brought a small smile to Daniel's face. "She already said to me, '_If you think I'm going anywhere tonight mister, you are sadly mistaken_'."

Hotch couldn't help smiling either. "I sent both of them to the restaurant to get some dinner. I'll bring the sketch artist in and then we'll get out of your hair and let you get some rest."

"Hotch, when do _you_ go home?"

"Right after I leave here," he said, opening the door to bring in the sketch artist.

"Hotch…" Hotch turned to look at him. "Thank you."

Hotch smiled. "You're welcome."

/\

"Did you lose the coin toss again, Spencer?" Daniel asked as Reid settled into an easy chair placed in his room, and Garcia placed a blanket and pillow on a small couch.

"Actually, no. He's just too much of a gentleman to have me sleep in a chair instead of on the couch." She walked over and handed Reid a pillow and a blanket.

"I can't believe you're actually doing this, Penelope. You're awesome, but you really should go home."

"No way, you're not getting rid of me that easily tonight. So, I'm awesome, hunh? What was that word Apolo Ohno used to describe awesomeness such as mine?"

Daniel laughed. "The word is 'awesomesauce'. Penelope, I've been meaning to ask you…what does your boyfriend think of all this?"

Garcia shrugged. "I just told him I was going out with friends from work tonight and now that I have a sick friend in the hospital." She walked over to the bed and kissed Daniel on the cheek. "It's okay, sugar. We're okay." She gingerly hugged Daniel, trying her best to not aggravate his injuries. "I wouldn't miss all this fun we've been having for anything in the world."

"Me either, Penelope." He looked over at Reid. "What are you smiling at, Spencer?"

"You two. You're so cute and funny when you're together. You crack me up."

"And you're pretty cute also, Dr. Reid," Penelope said, hugging him and plopping onto his lap.

"Too bad Morgan isn't here to see this," Reid laughed. He laughed again as Garcia hugged him once more and kissed him on the cheek before standing up and going over to the couch.

"Good night, gentleman," she announced, before lying down and covering herself with the blanket.

"She called us gentlemen," Daniel said, as he tried various sleeping positions to determine which one was most comfortable with his injuries. "And here I thought she knew us!"

Reid smiled and stood up to walk over and turn off the light. "Let me know if you need anything, Daniel," he said before sitting back down in the chair, placing the pillow behind his head, and covering himself with the blanket Garcia had given him.

/\/\/\/\

A/N: I really don't know what private rooms at Georgetown University Hospital are like. However, when my two year old nephew was born, his mommy's room had her hospital bed, a small private bathroom, some storage space for the patient's stuff, a small couch and at least one easy chair. Therefore I made Daniel's hospital room like that. She and his daddy (also my nephew) could also order food like room service at a hotel.

6


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **See my profile.

Spoiler for _'Elephant's Memory'_ (Season Three).

/\/\/\/\

'_**A Force of Nature: Part II**_**'**

Chapter Three

/\/\/\/\

"Daniel! Daniel, wake up!" Reid shook his friend's shoulder gently as he thrashed around on the hospital bed.

"Sweetheart, are you okay?" Garcia asked with concern as Daniel eyes darted around the room.

"Penelope?"

"Yes, honey, it's me and Spencer. We're both here with you."

"What happened?"

"You had a nightmare," Reid said quietly. "It's okay. We've all had them. Most of us still do."

"Oh, God. I think I was reliving the attack." He closed his eyes. "It was awful." He grimaced in pain when he tried to sit up.

"Daniel, should I call the nurse?" Reid asked.

"No, I'm fine. Just a little soreness."

Reid looked at him and saw a spot of blood on his chest. "I'm calling the nurse," he said, immediately pushing the call button. Within a couple of minutes a nurse appeared in the room, along with the police officer keeping watch outside the door. "He was moving around a lot trying to get comfortable, and it looks like he may have torn some of the stitches."

"Let's take a look," she said. "It's okay, officer." He nodded and left the room closing the door behind him.

"I'll go talk to the officer out in the hall," Garcia said, realizing Daniel might feel self-conscious about the nurse having to remove his hospital gown to check his bandages.

The nurse pushed Daniel's hospital gown aside and checked the bandages on his chest. There was blood on one of the bandages, and she carefully pulled the bandage back to check on the stitches. "The stitches look okay. I think it's just a little seepage. We'll just get a clean bandage on you and then you can try to relax again."

"He also was in some pain," Reid told her.

"It was just some soreness," Daniel insisted.

"Mr. Meier, we can easily give you some pain medication. Dr. Pierce left the instructions. There's no good reason for you to be in pain when it can so easily be taken care of."

Daniel sighed. "What kind of pain medication?"

"It's basically just a stronger version of Extra-Strength Tylenol. That's all."

"That's what I took when I was shot in the leg," Reid commented.

"Okay, then. I guess it would help."

The nurse finished applying a clean bandage, and then said she would go get the Tylenol and be right back. When she left Daniel's room Garcia came back in. "Everything okay, honey?"

"The nurse went to get him some pain medication."

"Oh, I'm sorry! Maybe you'll sleep better after that?"

"I don't know. I'm not sure I really _want_ to sleep."

"Daniel, maybe you should tell your parents about this. Maybe it would do you good to spend a few days with them."

"Spencer, it probably would do me good. But I just don't know if I want to tell them about all of this. I mean, I already told you my dad has a heart condition. I don't want to aggravate things, you know? And I don't want to put my parents in any danger."

"I understand that, but will you at least think about it?"

"Okay. Okay. I will." Just then the nurse came back into the room with the Tylenol. She handed Daniel two capsules and a glass of water to drink them down with. After instructing him to try and get some sleep she again left the room.

"Listen to her, sweetie. You have to try and sleep," Garcia said, smoothing Daniel's hair back from his forehead and pulling his blanket up over him.

Daniel looked at her and smiled weakly. "You're so good to me, Penelope." He looked at Reid. "Spencer, do you have a profile on my stalker?"

"Yes, days ago."

"And?"

"And, based on your witness description and the sketches that have been made, plus the previous behavior pattern, it was accurate."

"Who did it? You?"

Spencer shrugged. "I may have had a hand in it."

"Hmph!" Garcia snorted. "He created it all by himself while everyone else was working on the Carriol case. Don't let him fool you."

"What is it? The profile, I mean?"

"We can discuss that later. After you get some sleep."

"I don't want to go to sleep," Daniel insisted, even as his eyes were starting to close. "I might have another nightmare."

"If you do we're both right here, honey." Daniel smiled and within a few minutes he was asleep. Garcia smiled at Reid. "Maybe we should try to go back to sleep ourselves."

"I don't know, Garcia. I did doze off for a while before. But I'm having a hard time sleeping myself. I keep thinking I'm supposed to be offering protection to Daniel, and so far I haven't done such a hot job of it."

"What do you mean?"

"Despite what Hotch and Rossi told me, I _still_ walked away from him back at the gas station before Carriol confronted him."

"Reid, you did what you had to do. And you got Carriol."

"I know, but I should have told Hotch about us going out the night Daniel got food poisoning. You know he was right to pull me off the detail. That was just the latest in a long line of screw-ups. I could have been fired after that incident in Texas, but Hotch gave me another chance. He said if I ever pulled anything like that again he _would_ fire me." Reid shook his head. "I may be a good profiler, but sometimes I wonder what the _hell_ I think I'm doing!"

"Reid, you're overreacting."

"And now _this_. Daniel was stabbed _seven times_, Penelope! There is _no way_ I should ever have let that happen."

"Reid, what are you talking about? You weren't even there! You didn't let anything happen! Daniel kicked the whole team out of his house and his life. He fired you, basically. There's no way you could have done anything to prevent this."

"I should have insisted. I should have kept after him. I should have followed him that day at the BAU whether he wanted me to or not. This _never_ should have happened."

"Of course it shouldn't have ever happened. However, that doesn't make any of it _your_ fault!"

"I just feel so guilty about this," Reid said quietly.

"I know you do, baby. But please don't beat yourself up over it," Garcia said, walking over to him and hugging him.

"I can't help it, Penelope."

"I know, but Daniel didn't talk to either you or me for two days after he walked out of the BAU. He wasn't answering our calls at first, remember? Until this happened you'd only talked to him on the phone and not seen him in person since he left. What could you have done?"

"Like I said, I could have insisted…"

"No, Reid. You did everything you could do at the time, and that's all there is to it." She placed Reid's pillow behind his head and then pulled the blanket up over him. "I know that chair can't be very comfortable for you, but please try to get some sleep anyway."

"Thank you for listening, Penelope. You're a good friend."

"I know I am." Reid couldn't help smiling at her words.

/\/\/\/\

3


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **See my profile.

Warning for mild profanity. (My friend Diana always used to say God's last name was not damn it!)

A/N: Slight rewrite and repost early Sunday April 4, 2010.

/\/\/\/\

'_**A Force of Nature: Part II'**_

Chapter Four

/\/\/\/\

"So, what do you think, honey? Is it cool or what?"

"Penelope, I never thought I would ever be on _'America's Most Wanted'_. My mother loves John Walsh. She'll want to meet him somehow."

Reid laughed. "At least you'll be on the show for the right reasons. You helped capture a fugitive instead of becoming one."

"Oh, that's funny, Spencer!"

"Well, as much as I'd love to hang around here I have to get to work today. I'll call you later, Daniel, and see how you're doing." She turned to Reid. "What about you, Reid? Will you be here all day?"

"Hotch is sending Morgan by in a couple hours. I'll be coming back tonight, though."

"What about you, Penelope?"

"I'll come see you after work and bring some dinner. I'm sure it will be better than hospital food. Hotch says I won't be staying, though." She patted Reid on the head. "I guess that means you get the couch tonight." She hugged him and then went over to Daniel and kissed him on the cheek before carefully hugging him. "See you later, sweetheart."

Approximately fifteen minutes after Garcia left Daniel's cell phone rang while he was in the bathroom. "Is that my phone? Can you answer it, please?" Daniel called.

Reid looked at the caller I.D. and almost laughed. It indicated 'Baby Bro' was calling. "Hello?"

"_Um, I'm sorry, I was looking for Daniel. I must have dialed the wrong number."_

"No, no, you didn't. He's in the bathroom. Is this Mark?"

"_Yes, this Mark. I'm his brother. Who is this please?"_

"My name is Spencer Reid. I'm a friend of Daniel's."

"_Oh, you're the F.B.I. guy he told me about. You probably know something about why I'm calling then."_

"I don't think I do, actually. Wait, here's Daniel." He handed Daniel the phone. "It's 'Baby Bro' calling," he grinned.

"Hey Mark, what's up?"

"_You tell me, Danny."_

"Mark, you _know _I hate being called 'Danny'. Why do you insist on irritating me like that? Is something wrong?"

"_I just saw a segment about you on TMZ. They had a report stating that 2010 Olympic Silver Medalist Daniel Meier had been the victim of a stabbing in Washington, D.C. I almost had a heart attack, but when I called mom she said she had just talked to you last night…"_

"Oh, no! You told mom what TMZ said?"

"_No, I asked her if you were okay, and when she said she had talked to you I knew something was funky, so I didn't say anything else about what TMZ said."_

"Mark, listen to me. Do _not_ say anything else to mom or dad about this. I'm okay, and I will talk to them about this before they hear anything about it from somewhere else. Do you understand me?"

"_Are you sure you're okay?"_

"Yes, Mark. I swear. I'll call you back later." Daniel hung up the phone. 'God damn TMZ! I _hate _those jerks!" He turned to Reid. "I'm in big trouble, Spencer."

/\

"Dr. Pierce, I _need_ to get out of here now. I have to explain to my parents."

"Mr. Meier, you just came in here yesterday with seven stab wounds and significant blood loss. There is no way I can let you walk out of here this soon."

"You don't understand, Doctor. I can_not_ have my parents find out from a press conference, or from some reporter calling them up and asking them what they think about it. I have to go talk to them in person!"

"I can't authorize a release for you this soon, Mr. Meier. It just would not be medically safe for you."

"Dr. Pierce, what about tomorrow? Could he possibly be released tomorrow morning?" Reid asked.

"I'm not in favor of release for at least two to three more days, preferably three." He looked at Daniel, who was now sitting down with his head in his hands. "Agent Reid, you'll be getting into a car and driving 150 miles for what is sure to be an emotional discussion, and I just don't feel it's good for Mr. Meier right now." He sighed. "I'll go ahead and authorize a release for tomorrow morning, but no sooner. I don't like it, but I understand the problem, so I'll do it. If you have any problems at all once you leave here, go to the closest emergency room and see a doctor immediately."

"Thank you, Dr. Pierce," Reid said.

Once the doctor had left Daniel looked at Reid and said, "Don't say it, Spencer. I know this is my fault for not having told them right away." He reached for his cell phone. "I better call them and tell them we'll be coming by tomorrow to talk to them. Hopefully they won't see anything about this before we get there."

/\

"I'm _not_ looking forward to this at _all_," Daniel sighed as Hotch pulled the SUV up in front of his parents' house. "I usually can't wait to get here; today, I would rather not have come."

"I'm sure you're overreacting," Hotch said.

"I don't think so."

Reid climbed out of the back seat and opened the passenger side door for Daniel as Hotch climbed out the driver's side. Daniel sighed. "Let's get this over with."

The three men walked up to the front door and Daniel knocked. In a couple of minutes the door was opened by his father. "Daniel, why don't you just use your key? Please come in. Good to see you again, Spencer." He looked at Hotch.

"Hotch, this is my father Alex Meier. Uh, dad, this is SSA Aaron Hotchner. He's Spencer's boss."

"Oh," Alex said, as he shook Hotch's hand. "This must be important if you came along. Daniel didn't really tell us what this was all about, just that he needed to talk to us."

"Was that Daniel at the door?" Caroline said, coming down the hall from the bedroom. "I'm sorry, but I barely just got home from work, and I wanted to change my clothes before you got here." She hugged Daniel who visibly grimaced with pain as he hugged his mother back.

"Mom, of course you know Spencer. This is SSA Aaron Hotchner. Like I told dad, he's Spencer's boss. Hotch, this is my mother Caroline Meier."

"Nice to meet you Agent Hotchner." Caroline looked over at her husband, and then they both looked at the three men. "Is something wrong here?"

"Mom, I think we all should sit down."

"That sounds rather ominous," Alex said as the five of them sat down at the kitchen table. "Okay, what's going on here?"

"In a couple of hours our team's media liaison SA Jennifer Jareau will be conducting a press conference. This press conference will be in response to some reports that have come to light in the media," Hotch paused and looked at Daniel. "It will be regarding an attack on your son, Mr. Meier."

"What do you mean by attack? He told us someone tried to steal his wallet and cell phone."

"Dad, I didn't exactly tell you the whole truth."

"In what way?"

"You remember how you told me to start keeping the letters I was getting?" Alex nodded. "Well, when Spencer and Derek came to talk to me originally about the Carriol case Derek asked Spencer to look at the letters. He started separating the letters into three piles right away."

"Why three piles?" Caroline asked.

"I decided based on the language, the writing style, and the tone used there were at least three people contacting Daniel. One is really just an enthusiastic fan; the second a more zealous fan who appears to believe they have some sort of personal relationship with him; and the third…" Reid hesitated.

"What about the third?"

"They were threats. The letters are all mailed from zip code 60611, which is Chicago. The letters did everything to suggest a physical threat aside from using the actual words. A few days later Daniel received an actual death threat from the same zip code. A few days ago he received another threat he didn't inform us of, and the day before yesterday he was attacked."

"Daniel, you never told me any of those letters were death threats," Alex said in shock.

"I ignored them at first. In fact that's why I didn't know the letter from Carriol was a threat. I read the first line and then filed it with the others. I didn't take any of the letters seriously until Spencer and Derek looked at them."

"What exactly happened the other day, Daniel?"

Daniel looked down at the table and didn't answer for a couple minutes. "I was attacked as I left a CVS drug store. There were two attackers, a man and a woman. The woman said it was 'payback time'. I was stabbed seven times, and it might have been worse if someone else hadn't come walking along and scared them off." Alex and Caroline sat in stunned silence as Daniel continued to look down at the table.

Caroline looked at Reid. "Spencer, you called us the other night and said you were with Daniel at the hospital. You didn't tell us anything about this. _Why_? How could you have lied to us? Our son was _stabbed seven times _and you didn't tell us! How could you do that to us?"

"I'm sorry, Caroline."

"Mom, don't blame Spencer. I wouldn't let him tell you the truth. He even suggested it would do me good to come and spend a few days with you, but I told him I didn't want to put you in any danger. I wouldn't let the police call you or anything with what really happened. I even asked Hotch for help keeping it out of the press so you wouldn't find out."

"What the _hell_ would you do that for?" Alex demanded.

"I was worried about you. I was concerned you would drop everything and come running to D.C. and that it would be too much for either of you, especially with your heart, dad. I didn't want you to worry about me. I was trying to protect you."

"I can't believe you lied to us, Daniel. I can't believe you didn't trust us enough to tell us the truth."

"I'm sorry dad," Daniel said, tears welling in his eyes.

"The only reason you're telling us now is because some reports are coming out in the press? What if you hadn't made it? Is that how you wanted us to find out? From the press? From strangers?"

"No dad! I'm sorry! Mark called me from Arizona yesterday. He had seen something on TMZ about it. I convinced him I was okay and to not say anything else to you until I had a chance to talk to you first. The hospital didn't want to let me leave yet, but they allowed me to be released early so I could come and talk to you. Hotch won't let me go anywhere without Spencer or another agent along for protection; and under the circumstances he felt he should come along today to help explain what's going to happen next."

"Protection?" Caroline said, her voice rising. "Where were you all when this happened?"

"Mom, don't! It isn't their fault! They were with me night and day since I received the death threat; but after Carriol was caught I just decided I didn't want to deal with it anymore. I basically kicked everyone out and told them I didn't want them anymore. Hotch, Derek and Spencer, they all tried six ways from Sunday to convince me I was doing the wrong thing, but I didn't listen. It's all on _me_, mom; not Spencer, not Hotch, not the F.B.I."

There was another silence. Alex spoke first. "Agent Hotchner, what exactly _is_ going to happen next?"

"Agent Jareau will hold a press conference with details of the attack on Daniel. She will be showing four sketches of the suspects; two of the female suspect and two of the male. Daniel worked with the police and the F.B.I. on the sketches. So far they have only been circulated amongst law enforcement agencies; however this will put them out there for the public to see. We need their help. Agent Jareau will also be giving the profile Agent Reid originally created for the stalker. We have DNA from the envelopes, but it doesn't match anything in our databases. However, when we catch the suspects it _will_ help to implicate them. Daniel is back under twenty four hour protection whether he wants to be or not. I've told him he doesn't have a choice about it. The police will also be continuing their patrols past your house each half hour. We don't believe you are in any danger, but we refuse to take any chances."

"Will Daniel be appearing at the press conference?"

Hotch shook his head. "No. Agent Jareau will give a statement and the profile; show the sketches and give a description of the suspects. She will then take a few questions."

"And someone will be with Daniel all the time?"

"Yes, we'll be with him at home, and wherever he goes; and once he is able to go back to the rink in a few days we will be accompanying him there as well. This will continue for the time being until the suspects are caught."

"Is this happening because Daniel is an Olympic medalist? Because he's a celebrity?"

Reid spoke up. "The stalker may have originally seen him on television competing or in a skating show somewhere and become fixated on him; however, statistically more than eighty-five percent of stalking victims are not celebrities, but ordinary everyday people."

Caroline spoke next. "I think we need to speak to Daniel in private."

"Of course. Agent Reid and I will wait outside."

"No, don't be silly. You'll wait right here. The three of us will go into the office and talk." She and Alex stood up. "You must be thirsty from the drive. Spencer, you know where things are. Please get yourself and Agent Hotchner something to drink. Help yourself to some cookies, if you like." She pulled the cover off a plate sitting on the table. "I actually made these knowing you were coming; but under the circumstances they were sort of forgotten." Daniel stood up and followed his parents into their home office and shut the door behind them.

"That was a little rough," Hotch said after they had left.

Reid nodded his head in agreement before standing up to pour himself and Hotch a coke. "I'd try those if I were you. Caroline bakes excellent cookies." He placed their drinks on the table and sat back down. "I'm worried this is going to be too much for all of them, Hotch. They might not recover."

Nearly an hour later the door to the office opened and Daniel and his parents emerged. Reid and Hotch closed the file folders they had been looking at while the three were gone. Caroline appeared to have been crying and Daniel was carrying the long-sleeved sweatshirt he had been wearing over his arm. The bandages on each of his arms were clearly visible with the short sleeved tee shirt he was wearing. In addition the shirt was untucked from his jeans. Neither he nor his father looked happy. Reid and Hotch looked at each other, clearly uncomfortable with the situation. Caroline wiped her eyes with a tissue before sitting back down at the table.

"Mom, there are a couple things I wanted to pick up and take with me if that's okay."

"Go get them. You know where your stuff is," Caroline responded without looking at him.

Daniel walked down the hall and into his old bedroom. He returned a few minutes later carrying a paper bag with handles. "I'm ready to go now, Hotch," he said quietly, looking down at the floor.

Hotch and Reid stood up. "I'm sorry for everything that has happened, Mrs. Meier. Thank you for your hospitality."

Caroline looked up and smiled weakly. "My name is Caroline, and my husband's name is Alex."

A small smile came to Hotch's face. "Alex and Caroline. Of course! I'll remember that."

Alex reached for a small box sitting on the kitchen counter. "Caroline would like for you to have these brownies, Agent Hotchner."

"Uh, thank you. Thank you very much," he said, taking the box. He and Reid shook hands once more with both Alex and Caroline, and then headed for the front door with Daniel.

"Wait!" Caroline called, standing up from the table. She rushed over and hugged Daniel tightly. Alex then joined in hugging him as well. Reid could see Daniel grimace in pain, but hug his parents back anyway. Caroline looked at Hotch and Reid. "_Please_ take care of my baby!"

"We'll do our best, Caroline," Hotch said.

"I thought Mark was your baby, mom," Daniel said in an attempt to joke.

"You know you both are my babies!"

"I'm so sorry, mom!" Daniel said, wiping tears from his face.

"It's okay, Daniel," Alex said. "Please, just stay safe!"

A few minutes later Hotch was handing the keys to the SUV to Reid. "You want me to drive?" Reid said, surprised.

"Why not? You have before. Besides, you know the way."

Daniel climbed into the back seat, exhausted. Reid started the car and then turned around to look at him. "You looked like you were in pain back there, Daniel. Are you okay?"

"I'll be okay. It wasn't that bad physically. It passes. I can handle it. It's the emotional part that's difficult." He shook his head. "I have never seen my parents so upset. I think it was even worse than I thought it would be. In the office they wanted to see what happened, so I took off my sweatshirt and showed them the bandages on my arms and on my chest." He shook his head. "My father actually _cried_. The last time I saw him cry was when grandpa died and he had to deliver his eulogy."He shook his head as if he were trying to clear it before laying his head back against the seat. "I'm very tired. I'm going to take a nap on the way home."

Reid turned back around, put the SUV in gear and pulled away from the curb. "Hotch, we won't make it back in time for the press conference."

"I know. JJ and Rossi can handle it."

/\

Approximately an hour later, while Reid, Hotch and Daniel were still on their way back to Quantico, JJ and Rossi began the press conference. JJ stated that two days prior 2010 Olympic Men's Figure Skating Silver Medalist Daniel Robert Meier had been attacked by a long-time stalker and her unknown male partner. He had been stabbed seven times; twice on his left arm, once on his right arm, and four times to his chest and torso. No vital organs had been hit, but the wounds to his chest had required stitches to close. He was now under federal protection due to the Interstate nature of the letters that had been sent to him from the Chicago area. She then held up the sketches of the two suspects, and asked for public vigilance in helping to catch them. At that point Rossi read the profile Reid had originally created for Daniel's stalker. She was a white female, age twenty-five to thirty-five, intelligent, but would have difficulty holding a job because of her tendency to become obsessively fixated on certain people around her. She had begun sending letters to Daniel professing her love for him, and when he had not responded her letters had become progressively angrier until she had sent a death threat and planned a physical attack on him. Reid's profile _had _indicated at some point she would physically approach or attack Daniel in some way. She had planned a confrontation and waited to carry out her plan, spending a great deal of time and money doing so; and the only thing not in Reid's original profile was her male companion. At that point JJ indicated she would take a few questions.

"Is the stalker case connected to the Carriol case?"

"No, the stalking case goes back to well before Mr. Meier's trip to Bermuda. However it has only been within the last few weeks death threats were made."

"Is there any DNA or other forensic evidence in this case?"

"We do have a DNA profile for an unidentified female from the envelopes used to send the letters to Mr. Meier. However, there is no match in any of the national databases."

"Do you believe the suspects are still in the D.C. area?"

"It's possible. However, at this point we're not sure."

"How is Mr. Meier dealing with the attack at this point in time?"

"About as well as could be expected. That's all for now. Thank you very much."

/\/\/\/\

A/N: Slight rewrite and repost early Sunday April 4, 2010.

6


	5. Chapter 5

**0Disclaimer: **See my profile.

Spoilers for '_Damaged_' (Season Three), '_The Popular Kids_' (Season One), '_Jones_' (Season Two), '_The Instincts_' (Season Four), and '_Nameless, Faceless_' (Season Five).

/\/\/\/\

'_**A Force of Nature: Part II'**_

Chapter Five

/\/\/\/\

"You know Reid, I knew that was going to be a tough situation emotionally back there, but I went anyway. I wouldn't wish something like that on anyone, but it was good to see genuine human emotion, from people who care about each other like Daniel and his parents do."

Reid nodded. "I know what you mean, Hotch. I still feel bad about not telling Alex and Caroline the truth, though."

Hotch shook his head. "Don't do this to yourself, Reid. Stop beating yourself up like this. You've been doing that way too much lately. In this case you know the decision was Daniel's, not yours."

"I know, but I went along with it, Hotch."

"Reid, what else could you have done? It would have been different if Daniel had wanted his parents to know the truth, but he didn't. Therefore you really had no choice but to go along."

Reid nodded, knowing Hotch was right. It felt good talking to Hotch one on one as they headed back toward D.C. He didn't often have the opportunity to just talk to him at the BAU or when they worked on a case. Hotch seldom let his guard down in those type of situations; he couldn't afford to. However, at times like these moments driving with Reid, he would sometimes relax and talk about more personal things like he had a couple years ago on the way back from their interview with Death Row inmate Chester Hardwick. At that point Hotch had opened up about being faced with signing the papers for an uncontested divorce from Haley. It was one of those moments Reid felt confident Hotch viewed him as an equal and was comfortable talking to him, and today was another one.

Just as they were approaching the Beltway Hotch's cell phone rang. It was Rossi, who informed him the press conference had concluded. Hotch thanked him and hung up the phone again. "Well, press conference is over. Hopefully we'll get some leads from it."

"I hope so. We're not making much progress otherwise."

Daniel's phone began to ring a few minutes later and its groggy owner fished it out of his pocket and flipped it open. "Hello... Oh, hi! How are you doing? It's great to hear from you!" He listened for a moment. You saw the press conference? This soon? Where did you see it... No honey, I'm really okay, I swear! I'll call you back when I get home."

"Everything okay?" Reid asked.

"That was my friend Tanith. She's an ice dancer for the U.S. Team. She saw part of the press conference on CNN and she kind of freaked and wanted to make sure I was okay."

"I'm sure you'll be getting a few more calls like that," Hotch said.

Hotch was correct. In the hour it took Reid to get to Daniel's house his phone barely stopped ringing. Everyone from his brother Mark to Olympic Champion Evan Lysacek to Daniel's agent to several other skaters and friends called him, having seen all or part of the press conference on either CNN, Universal Sports or Ice Network. They were all looking for assurance he was okay after hearing what had happened to him. His agent was upset with him for not having told her himself, and she demanded he 'keep her in the loop' from now on. Daniel sighed once he hung up with his agent. "She was crying," he commented. "My brother yelled at me for not telling him the truth; Evan told me I just can't stay out of trouble, and everyone else is asking how this woman found me in the first place. I can't wait for my coach to hear about it because she'll be yelling at me in Russian." He sighed. "At least it will be different from English."

"I'm sure you'll get more calls as more people hear about it," Reid commented.

"I know. I'm too tired and weak to respond to all these people yelling at me. I know they're concerned, but why does said concern have to involve yelling at me?"

"They all love you," Reid joked.

"Evan doesn't love me. He barely tolerates me," Daniel responded. "No, that's not true. Evan's okay."

Instead of going directly to Daniel's house the three men stopped at a pizza restaurant and picked up some pizzas; two small ones for Hotch to take home for him and Jack, and the others for Reid and Daniel. Daniel commented at this point he didn't care if he gained ten pounds eating pizza, because his coach was going to be upset with him anyway, so what did it matter if she had one more thing to be irritated about?

A few minutes after leaving the restaurant they pulled up in front of Daniel's house. Reid and Hotch climbed out of the SUV and Daniel followed them much more slowly. Watching the expression on his face as Hotch commented, "Are you sure you're okay?"

"No. But I'll live. Dr. Pierce forced me to agree to come in tomorrow as a condition of releasing me early. I'll make it til then." He handed Hotch the bag he had brought from his parents' house. "This is for your son. It's a fire engine I bought when I was in Japan recently. I was hoping he might like it."

Hotch looked at him. "Thank you, Daniel. That's very thoughtful." He turned and walked with Reid and Daniel up to the house, but didn't go inside. Reid handed him the keys to the SUV, then went inside to check the house before allowing Daniel to enter.

After a couple minutes Reid came back and told them the house was clear. "This is ridiculous," Daniel commented.

"It might seem ridiculous, but it's also necessary." Hotch waited until Daniel was inside the house before continuing. "Same setup as before. Morgan and Prentiss will be here in the morning. They'll go with you to the doctor and wherever else you need to go. Reid will come back tomorrow night."

"You were with me last night and all day today," Daniel told Reid. "Aren't you sick of me yet?"

"Yes, very much so," Reid quipped. "But I have orders." Hotch couldn't resist a chuckle as he turned around and headed back to the SUV to head home.

"I'll get some plates out for the pizza," Reid said, heading into Daniel's kitchen.

Just then Daniel's cell phone rang again. He looked at the caller I.D. and groaned when he realized it was his coach calling. "This may take a while," he said as he headed for his bedroom. Fifteen minutes later he came back out of the bedroom. "My ears are bleeding from all that yelling in Russian."

"Oh, come on!"

Daniel sighed and reached for a piece of pizza. After a few bites he suddenly said, "Shoot! I need to call Tanith back!" He put the pizza down, flipped his phone open once more and headed for his bedroom so he could talk to his friend in private. Nearly ninety minutes later Daniel came out of his bedroom without his phone. He placed two pieces of pizza on a plate and placed it in the microwave, watching through the door as the plate rotated on its turntable.

"Uh, Daniel, it's not a good idea to stand there and stare at the microwave like that. Bad for the eyes, you know."

"I know, and right now I don't care." He pulled the plate out of the microwave and carried it over to the table before sitting down again. "My phone is almost dead. I plugged in the charger and left it in my room. I'm sick of hearing the damn thing ring and I don't care if it ever rings again."

"Are you okay?"

Daniel sighed. "I'm okay. After I talked to Tanith for a while I decided to call my parents. They were trying to avoid the press conference, but my dad accidentally caught part of it while he was watching _SportsCenter_ on ESPN. Spencer, do you know how often they mention figure skating on that show? I'll tell you…during the Olympics and when there's a scandal, like the Tonya Harding mess. I guess me being stabbed by a stalker qualifies as a scandal. After I talked to my parents my agent called again. She told me she's already had a couple people call about appearances on talk shows. I didn't get this much attention when I won a medal at the Olympics, but look what's happening now!"

"People love a good story, I guess."

"Good story, my ass!" He chuckled. "You know, when we were teenagers I stayed at Tan's house a couple times during competitions. She told me I should come over there now so she could take care of me."

"That's sweet, Daniel."

"I know it's sweet, and she was serious too. I told her I appreciated the thought and I thanked her. But I can't do it, Spencer. I told her I didn't want to put her in any danger."

"Of course, I understand that. I'm sure your friend did also."

Daniel nodded. "She understood."

/\

"Daniel! Daniel, wake up!" Spencer called, as he knocked loudly on Daniel's bedroom door. When the noise Daniel was making continued, Reid opened the door and went into the room. He walked over to the bed and shook Daniel's shoulder as he thrashed about on the bed. "Daniel, _wake up_! You're having a nightmare!"

Daniel sat up; looking right at Reid, but still didn't appear to be awake. "Come on, Daniel! Wake up!"

After a few moments Daniel finally seemed fully awake and to have calmed down. He ran his hands through his hair and then put his head in his hands. "I had another nightmare about the stabbing. I kept reliving it over and over again…" Agitated, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and climbed out. "I need some coffee, Spencer."

"Daniel, it's after 3am. You want coffee now?"

"Yes. I have no intention of going back to sleep any time soon."

Daniel walked down the hall to his kitchen, with Reid close behind him. He put some coffee and a filter into his coffee machine and poured water through to brew. He pulled out a couple of coffee cups and then sat down at the table to wait for the coffee to brew. "I'll have coffee with sugar in it, and you can have sugar with coffee in it."

"Ha, ha!"

Daniel sat silently until the coffee was ready. He poured himself and Reid a cup before sitting back down and wrapping his hands around the cup to feel the warmth of the liquid within. "Do you ever have nightmares, Spencer? I mean, with the work you do and all…"

"Yes, I mentioned in the hospital I have nightmares. They're not as bad as when they first started. However, they don't stop. We all have them, we just learn to make friends with them, I guess."

"Hotch has nightmares?"

Reid chuckled. "Yes, even Hotch has nightmares."

"When did yours start?"

"Years ago. I would come to work not having slept much or even at all, and be afraid I wouldn't be able to work all day without falling asleep. So I would get coffee and pour ridiculous amounts of sugar into it in an attempt to try and stay awake." He leaned back against the back of his chair before continuing. "Morgan prodded me into telling him what was bothering me, and then he went and told Hotch and Gideon. I remember I was furious with him for what I considered to be ratting on me. But then he told me he had nightmares also. And that he still did, and Hotch and Gideon needed to know so they could help me to deal with it." Reid took a sip of his coffee before continuing. "One time we were working on a missing child case in Las Vegas and Morgan and I were staying at the family's house. I had a nightmare sleeping on their couch, and Morgan was the one who woke me up out of it."

"It's hard to imagine tough guys like Derek or Hotch having nightmares. But then again, they're both human beings doing an incredibly challenging job…" Daniel closed his eyes. "I don't even want to think about dealing with what you guys deal with on a regular basis."

"It's not easy. I told a friend of mine down in New Orleans that I can't even believe some of the things I've seen."

"Spencer… Has Hotch ever talked to anyone about his being stabbed? Do you think he would ever be willing to talk to me?"

"I don't know about that Daniel. I'm not so sure that's a good idea."

"Spencer, I think I need to talk to someone about it. Not a psychiatrist, someone who _knows_."

"You can talk to me, Daniel. You know I'll listen just like you listened to me. I may not have been stabbed, but…"

"You've been through a lot, I know; and you haven't told me everything."

"I know, I know. Some of it I've never told anyone. It's given me empathy, though."

Daniel leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes for several minutes. "Spencer, I keep seeing that knife coming at me over and over…"

/\/\/\/\

7


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **See my profile.

Spoilers for _'The Fisher King: Part I'_ (Season One), _'The Fisher King: Part II'_ (Season Two), and _'Revelations'_ (Season Two).

/\/\/\/\

'_**A Force of Nature: Part II'**_

Chapter Six

/\/\/\/\

"I just see that knife over and over coming at me…" Daniel said softly. It's like I'm being attacked over and over. It just won't go away."

"I know. I'm sorry."

"The strange thing is, after the first stab I barely felt it."

"A lot of stabbing victims have made similar statements."

"But I can't forget the sight of the knife coming at me…" Daniel looked at the bandages on both of his arms and then looked at his hands. "Do you know why I don't have any defensive wounds on my hands, Spencer?"

Reid nodded. "Because the male UnSub grabbed you from behind and pinned your arms while the female UnSub stabbed you."

Daniel's face twitched. "I have never felt so helpless in my life, Spencer. Except for when my father had his heart attack, which I couldn't do anything about either."

"But you feel like you should have been there sooner?"

"Yes."

"You can't be there all the time, Daniel. You can't take care of everyone. I think your parents realize that. You have a life and you have a right to live it."

"Right, Spencer. Look who's talking about having a life and having a right to live it."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Come on, Spencer! You know exactly what I mean. You don't do _anything_ for yourself. It's all your mother, or your teammates or their children, or the latest Unsub…"

"Daniel, the UnSubs are my job."

"But they don't have to be your _life_, Spencer. Don't keep making that mistake."

"Daniel, _somebody_ had to take care of my mother. She couldn't do it herself."

"Spencer, you were ten years old taking care of yourself and your mother… You shouldn't have had to do that."

"Well, I took care of that when I turned eighteen, didn't I?"

Daniel leaned forward and looked at Reid. "Spencer, are you actually going to sit there and tell me you don't _know_ in your heart it was the right thing to do? I'm not saying it was easy or that it should have been easy having your mother committed, I'm saying it was necessary. If you were there full-time 24/7 you couldn't have taken care of her the way she needed to be taken care of."

"In my head I know that, in my heart-well that's where I still feel guilty."

"Listen to your head then, Spencer."

"Do you know that when I was kidnapped in Georgia, Hankel, or rather the alternate persona of his father, kept trying to get me to confess my sins, and I kept telling him I wasn't a sinner. Do you know what I finally _did_ confess?"

"You sent your mother away?"

"Yes, I said I couldn't help her. And ever since I've been trying to alleviate my guilt for that and for not seeing her more often by writing her letters every day." He closed his eyes and leaned back against the chair. "She doesn't know my letters are real half the time."

"I know that has to be hard, Spencer."

"It is." Reid sat silently for a moment absently twirling a pen around on the table. Finally he said, "This was supposed to be about you, Daniel. How did we get around to me?"

"It happened when you told me I needed to live my life, and I realized that you're doing just the opposite of what you're telling me to do."

"Come on, Daniel!"

"It's the truth!"

"Okay, I admit it! There's a lot of truth to what you're saying. However, there's not a whole lot I can do to change it at this point in time."

"What time is it?"

"Around 4:30 am. "

Daniel sighed. "There's no way I'm going back to bed right now. Its hours until my appointment with Dr. Pierce and I don't even want to think about trying to sleep and having that damn nightmare again."

"We could watch a movie or something."

"I don't feel like it. But don't let that stop you."

"I could teach you to play chess."

"No thanks. I stink at playing chess. I keep telling you that."

"Maybe if you played more you wouldn't stink at it."

"Maybe I stink at chess because I don't _like_ chess, Spencer."

"So, you like everything Russian except chess?"

"Chess did not originate in Russia, Spencer."

"The version most widely played today is European, but based on a game that originated in India."

"I don't care where the damn game originated, Spencer! I'm still not going to play!"

"Fine, you think of something to occupy the time then."

"You could tell me about some of your cases."

"Come on, Daniel! You're having nightmares about being stabbed and you want me to tell you about serial killers and rapists and pedophiles and who knows what else?"

"You have nightmares but you still do the job."

"I'm trained to do the job, Daniel. You're not."

"Fine. Don't talk to me then."

"Daniel, you're being childish."

There was a short silence during which Daniel fidgeted and tapped his fingers on the table. "I'm sorry; I guess maybe I'm just trying to better understand why these things happen, why this happened to me."

Reid nodded. "I felt the same way."

"Are you ever going to tell me anymore about what happened to you in Georgia?"

"There's not much more to tell, Daniel."

Daniel snorted. "Right. Here you are trying to get me to talk about it, but you don't want to yourself." Reid looked at Daniel and Daniel looked right back at him. "You said it wasn't a pleasant experience, but Penelope told me you were held a full twenty four hours before they ever saw you, and then that they only saw you for a total of a few minutes. But you've already told me you were held for two days and two nights." He held up his hand when Reid opened up his mouth as if to say something. "Don't be upset with her. That's all she told me."

"Oh, Daniel, you are actually starting to piss me off right about now. You're just bound and determined to get me to talk about this, aren't you? What if I don't want to talk about it?"

Daniel rubbed his left temple, his facial muscles twitching. "No, Spencer. I'm sorry. I have no idea what came over me. I have no right to bug you about this. The last thing I would ever want to do is make someone feel as bad as I do." After a long, tense silence Daniel said, "Maybe I should try to lie down again. Maybe the nightmare won't come back this time."

"Daniel… I had to dig my own grave."

"You… You… What?"

"He made me dig my own grave. After I confessed my sins. After I spent forty eight ours with my hands cuffed in front of me and chained to a chair. I was dehydrated, I was freezing, I was bruised and bleeding, I was terrified, and I thought I was going to die."

"Spencer, I'm sorry I ever brought it up."

"No, don't apologize. I need to get this out."

/\

Morgan and Prentiss walked in Daniel's front door just after ten am to find Reid and Daniel sitting at the kitchen table with cups of coffee sitting in front of them. "Don't tell me the two of you have been up all night again," Morgan commented.

"We've been talking," Reid retorted.

"You both look like crap, and Daniel you're due to see Dr. Pierce in two hours."

"Yippee," Daniel commented. He stood up and dragged himself toward his bedroom like he was exhausted, which he was. "See you tonight, Spencer."

"Dr. Pierce will take one look at you and toss your butt right back in the hospital," Morgan called after him, laughing.

"Morgan, you're bad!" Prentiss laughed.

"Thanks, Derek!" Daniel called back to him. "I'll be giving myself a sponge bath. I can't wait until I can take a shower again, or soak in a tub."

"Hey kid, you okay?" Morgan asked Reid.

Reid shook his head. "I've been better."

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Prentiss asked.

"Not unless you can make everything go away, Emily."

"If I could I would."

Reid smiled. "Thanks, Emily." With a little effort he stood up from the table and stretched his arms and neck in an attempt to get the kinks out. Morgan handed him his overnight bag and his messenger bag and then stood watching at the door until he was safely in his car and driving away.

/\

Hotch looked up at the sound of the knock on his office door. "Reid! What they heck are you doing here? You've been on duty for two days straight! Go home!"

"I will, Hotch. But I need to talk to you first, if you don't mind."

"Come in and sit down then." He watched while Reid shut his office door and then took a seat in a chair in front of his desk. "You look exhausted, Reid."

"Daniel and I were up most of the night again, talking. He woke up around 3 am."

"He's having trouble sleeping then?"

"Well, I uh… He's having some pain… Well, yes. He's having trouble sleeping, Hotch."

"You aren't betraying any confidences unless you tell me something he doesn't want you to tell me."

"I know. We talked because he needed someone to talk to. We've done it before. We find that we actually have a lot to talk about. This time though he…well…"

"Just tell me, Reid."

"He asked me if I thought you would be willing to talk to him about being stabbed. I said I didn't know if it was a good idea. He said he thought he needed someone to talk to, but not a psychiatrist-someone who _knows_." The words came out in a rush, as if Reid wanted to get them out quickly before he lost his nerve.

Hotch stared at him for a couple of minutes before he answered. "Reid, as much as I would like to help Daniel deal with this issue, I don't think that's a good idea. It's not really appropriate."

"I know, Hotch. It's just that I thought I should tell you just in case he actually does ask. I mean, at this point, I don't think he will. But you never know. He can be pretty stubborn sometimes."

"He's changed his mind?"

"It was just a thought he had, I think. I talked to him a little about some things and I know he feels better. He knows some of us still have issues with bad dreams and such, and he knows some of the reasons why. I think I helped him a little."

"You've told Daniel about some of the things you've experienced?"

There was a short silence before Reid answered very quietly, "Yes, Hotch. I did."

"And you're okay with that?"

Reid nodded. "I think it helped both of us. I had actually told him a few things one night when I was on the original detail. This time I just…elaborated a little."

"As long as you're okay with talking about it, I don't see a problem. Are you sure you're okay with this, Reid?"

"Oh, I was kind of pissed off when Daniel tried to bring it up. But now I almost feel…cleansed."

"If it's really helping you, I'm all for it."

"Thank you, Hotch."

Hotch chuckled softly. "And here I thought in the beginning Daniel didn't even _like_ me; and now he wants to talk to me about something like this!"

"It's not that Daniel didn't like you, Hotch. He never disliked you. It's just that you intimidated him."

Hotch stared at Reid for a moment. "I somehow don't get the impression Daniel is someone who is easily intimidated."

"Uh, Hotch. All _you_ have to do to intimidate most people is look at them… "

Hotch tried very hard to hold back a grin. "Reid, go home. And be careful driving. You have to go back tonight." Reid stood up, grinned slightly and left the office. Hotch shook his head and then went back to his paperwork.

/\/\/\/\


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: **See my profile!

Spoilers for _'Fear and Loathing'_, _'Jones'_, _'Ashes and Dust' _(Season Two), _'In Name and Blood' _and _'Elephant's Memory'_ (Season Three).

/\/\/\/\

'_**A Force of Nature: Part II'**_

Chapter Seven

/\/\/\/\

"Hey guys," Reid said, as he walked into Daniel's house and set the two bags he was carrying down on the kitchen counter. "How did things go with Dr. Pierce today?"

"Well, he wasn't at all happy with Daniel, and he didn't hesitate to tell him so. He checked the stitches and all the wounds. He said he's healing well, but if he hadn't insisted on leaving the hospital early he'd have made more progress," Prentiss answered.

"He originally didn't want him to leave the hospital until tomorrow at the earliest, maybe the next day," Reid said.

Morgan laughed. "At least he's getting the stitches out in a couple more days, so he'll be able to do more than sponge baths…"

"Yeah, thank God…" Daniel said, walking into the living room. "I want a nice long shower or a really long, warm bath." He plopped down on the couch and sighed.

Reid sat down on a nearby chair. "Did your agent call you back today?"

Daniel laughed. "Starting next Tuesday she pretty much has me booked solid with talk shows and television appearances. You should see the list of shows I'm going to be appearing on-_Lopez Tonight, Craig Ferguson, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Regis and Kelly, The View, The Joy Behar Show, The Bonnie Hunt Show, Larry King Live, Nancy Grace;_ and then there are local shows in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. And Paul Deen wants me to appear on _Paula's Party_, and I may also appear on Brian Boitano's Food Network show.

"You're really going to do all that?" Morgan asked.

"Some of them can be done in one day like _Joy Behar_ and _The View_, for example. Joy is on both of those shows, and I've done her HLN show before. I just love her, she's hilarious. Both of her shows are taped in New York City, one in the morning, and one in the afternoon. Most of the shows are filmed in either New York or Los Angeles."

"Are you sure you want to do all that?" Reid asked.

"Well, I admit I'd be happier if it was all about my skating, or maybe what I plan to do next, like school, or the possibility of writing a book; but I'm sure I'll have a chance to talk about the skating show I signed up to do in New York at least."

"You signed that contract?"

"His agent just left here half an hour ago with the signed contract for that show," Morgan commented.

"And I am officially inviting all seven of you plus your guests to the show in New York City."

"Daniel, are you sure it's a good idea to try and do so much this soon? Not to mention the fact you'll need protection the entire time."

"And Hotch will be thrilled, of course!" Morgan added.

"He won't try to stop me, will he?"

"I can pretty much guarantee he'll at least try to talk you out of some of it," Prentiss said.

"I am doing every one of these shows! Spencer can come with me, can't he?"

"I get it, Daniel. I understand you want to do all of this stuff. It's just there's a security issue that must be dealt with. I'll give Hotch a call later and we'll see how he wants to handle things." Morgan stood up. "Come on, Prentiss, let's get going."

"See you tomorrow, Daniel. Good night, Reid."

"Good night guys."

Once Morgan and Prentiss had left Daniel said, "I already told my parents and my brother about this, but I wanted to tell you before anyone else, Spencer."

"What is it?"

"My agent also set up some appointments with publishers regarding a book deal. I've talked to a couple people in the past about it, but now there's a lot more interest."

"Daniel, that's great! You told me you've wanted to write that book. Here's your chance."

"I know! I'm thrilled to have the chance. Everything seems to be happening all at once, doesn't it?"

"Daniel, how is all this going to impact your going back to school?"

Daniel shook his head. "It won't, Spencer. I won't let it. I promised myself and my father I would go back. I know I can't let any of this pass me by now because I might not ever have another chance, but these talk show appearances will be over in a few weeks. I can keep training while I go to school wherever I end up; however I'll be training for shows not competitions after next season because I've already decided that one will be my last. Once the book is done I'm sure I'll do some publicity appearances for it, but then I'll be focused on school and a few shows-if I even get into school, that is!"

"You will, Daniel. Is the book a straight biography?"

"Not really. It's about me, about my skating career, about the politics of skating, the whole thing."

Reid laughed. "I'm sure it will be interesting."

"Oh, Spencer… You have _no_ idea how much dirt I have to write about! I swear there are some people out in the skating world that probably won't be very happy with me." He stood up. "I'm hungry! Let's go out for dinner, Spencer."

"Uh, Daniel. No."

"Come on, Spencer! It won't be like last time, I swear! No bars, no getting sick…just dinner."

"No, Daniel," Spencer said firmly. He stood up. "Besides, I already brought us dinner."

Daniel sighed. "Yippee!" He stood up and walked over to the kitchen table and sat down. "What do I get to eat?"

"I brought Italian food from a family owned restaurant in my neighborhood." He walked over to the kitchen counter where he had placed his two handled paper bags earlier. "The owners treat me like a member of the family whenever I come in. Today they scolded me for living two blocks away and not coming in more often."

Daniel laughed. "And I bet they also tell you you're too skinny and need to eat more, right?"

Reid nodded. "Pretty much." He pulled several containers out of the bags and set them down on the table. "We have Italian breadsticks, antipasto salad, and manicotti, spaghetti with meatballs, lasagna, garlic toast and dipping sauce."

"You're kidding! You think I can eat all of that?"

"No, of course not! Just eat what you want and we'll save the rest for later. Oh, and there's also a cheesecake in the refrigerator. And I forgot to mention the pizza."

"Do your friends seriously think we could eat all that, or do they think they're feeding an army?"

Reid laughed. "No, they're just trying to feed two young men in their twenties. For the next year!"

/\

"Spencer, I am _so_ full! I can't believe I ate that much! I am going to be as fat as a pig by the time I get back on the ice! And I haven't even had any cheesecake yet."

"As much as I ate, I probably won't gain an ounce. And people keep telling me I need to eat more. I _do_ eat!"

"Spencer, I despise you sometimes."

Reid laughed. "I can't help it if I have a fast metabolism, Daniel."

"Whatever!" Daniel commented as he stood and picked up plates and containers. Once the leftovers had been put away and the dishes washed Daniel plopped down on the couch and sighed.

"What?" Reid asked as he perused Daniel's DVD collection.

Daniel just shook his head. "I'm bored, Spencer. All I ever do now is watch DVDs and Cable TV. Not that I had an exciting life before, but I skated during the day, and at night I felt safe going out once in a while. Now I don't."

"I know. It will get better in a couple of days. You'll get the stitches out, the bandages will be gone, and you can start going on all of these shows of yours and writing your book. At least you'll be able to get out more."

"If I get the book deal."

"You will. You don't have to wait for the deal to come through to work on the book."

"I have pages of notes to work from. I am _so_ ready! Maybe you can help me."

"Me? I don't know anything about writing a book. Rossi does."

"I'd feel kind of funny talking to Rossi about the writing process. You're written magazine articles, theses, papers, and dissertations. You could maybe help me get started at least."

"Okay, if you think I can help, I'll be happy to try." He turned to look at Daniel. "How come we never watch any figure skating videos?"

"I don't like watching myself skate. I look at a performance right after to see what I might have done right or wrong, but I seldom look at them after that. I have some DVDs on the bottom shelf of other skaters, though." While Reid sat on the floor so that he was better able to look at the bottom shelf of the bookcase Daniel looked down at the floor. "Uh, Spencer, about last night…"

"You mean early this morning?"

"Yeah… I just wanted to tell you I'm sorry."

"Why?"

"I dragged some things out of you maybe you might not have been ready to talk about. I didn't want to do anything to hurt you. I don't know what came over me, really."

Reid turned around and stared at him. "Daniel, I'm fine. I spoke to Hotch earlier today, and I told him I almost feel cleansed."

"You're not just saying that to make me feel better, Spencer?"

"No, I'm not. It's true. Maybe I needed to talk about it to help myself get past it. I've been holding a lot in I didn't even realize I was holding in. I haven't talked about it that much. I didn't think I needed to or wanted to." He stood up with several DVDs in his hand before walking over to the couch and sitting down. He showed the DVDs to Daniel. "All figure skating; I found highlights from several Olympics, plus some mixes of performances you put together."

"If you want to see what Tanith looks like I'd start with Mix number two. If you want to see one of the greatest performances ever start with the men's portion of the 1988 Calgary Olympics. There have been a lot of great performances over the years."

Reid held up a DVD of figure skating highlights from the recent Winter Olympics in Vancouver. "How about I start with this one?" He looked at the cover. "There you are right there. And wouldn't your friend be on here also?"

"Come on, Spencer! I just told you I don't like watching myself!" He pulled the DVD out of Reid's hand and set it down on the couch. "Spencer, something has been bothering me a little since our chat, and I'd kind of like to get it off my chest."

"Daniel, I know I told you I needed to talk about it, but that doesn't mean I want to talk about it every night."

"I understand. But I can't help being a little upset when I think about everything you had to deal with. From my point of view it doesn't seem like you got enough help from your friends dealing with all of it."

"Daniel…"

"Don't get pissed off at me, Spencer. Please."

After a silence that stretched into several minutes in length Reid started talking. "I admit there was a point where I felt like that myself. I felt like I was crying out for help, even that I was drowning and no one was paying attention. However, I also remember times when Morgan said 'Talk to me', or 'What's going on up there?', or 'I'm standing right here,' or made it clear anything I told him wouldn't go anywhere else. After Georgia he said no one expected me to just bounce back; yet just a few days later I was back working and struggling and it seemed like all anyone was doing was getting pissed off at me. I was acting like a jerk, and I know I was; but it didn't seem like anyone was offering to actually help me." He stood up, walked over to the sliding glass door, and stood looking through it to the back yard. "There were times I _did_ wonder why they couldn't understand I was struggling, and why I should have to tell them if I was. But I also didn't want to be so self-centered. I mean, they all had their own issues to deal with. This job isn't easy on any of us. It affected Hotch's personal life, it helped drive Gideon away, we've all been attacked or shot or stabbed; held hostage, lost family members or had other things happen to us. It's not just me. We all have problems, and it would have been selfish of me to expect everyone to focus on mine."

Reid turned away from the door and walked back over to the book case, staring at the books on the shelves. "There was this one time we were working on a serial arson case near San Francisco and I made the comment the arsonist was like a drug addict and he needed more and more of the drug, in that case fire, to get the same high. And like the addict he probably couldn't stop without help. They all looked at me, but no one said anything." Reid sighed before continuing, "Rossi wasn't around then, and I don't think he knows much about what happened to me and between me and the team before he came back. I'm pretty sure in the beginning he thought I was a wimpy kid anyway. At least he did until he had a chance to get to know me a little better." He turned back around and looked at Daniel. "They did do a lot for me. Hotch covered for me more than he should have, and Prentiss quit rather than rat on the team. One of the things she could have ratted about was my addiction. Hotch told me I was good at the job, and Morgan told me I could use what happened to me for empathy and to become a better profiler and a better person."

"They didn't help you quit though."

Reid shook his head. "No, I did it alone. They just know I stopped. In New Orleans a friend I hadn't seen in years took one look at me and said he knew I wasn't well, as he put it. So, sometime after that case in New Orleans and the arson case I just decided I had to quit."

"You haven't even told them about the meetings. How do they think you quit, Spencer?"

Reid shook his head. "I don't know, to be honest. I didn't start with the meetings until I had been clean for ten months, anyway. I had to leave my first meeting to go to a case in Texas, and the meeting made me late getting back to the BAU. I lied and said I'd been to a movie, but Hotch knew it was a lie. He just didn't tell me outright he knew. Sometimes I still wonder if they completely trust me, especially out in the field. I wonder sometimes if I get left behind working on geographical profiles or whatever that don't allow me to be in the field because I was shot in the leg or I had the knowledge to work on the profile, or because they just don't want me out in the field. Sometimes it bothers me a little when I get left behind."

"Spencer, I'm sorry. I did it again. I only brought it up to apologize for last night, or early this morning, whatever… And I dragged all this other stuff out. I'm really sorry. Smack me or something."

"I'm not going to smack you, Daniel. Get real."

"I'm turning into a complete jerk."

"No, you're not. Don't be ridiculous!"

For a few moments the two men looked at each other but didn't say anything. Finally Daniel said, "Go put Mix Number Two in the machine. If you do you'll see a few reasons why Morgan watches figure skating."

"Ladies in short skirts?" Reid grinned as he popped the DVD out of its case.

"Yes. Figure skating is a great sport to be in if you like hanging around a lot of beautiful young ladies, particularly if you're a leg man."

Once Reid was sitting on the couch Daniel used the remote to start the DVD. "That's Tanith right there, skating with Ben, her dance partner."

"Whoa! This is the one who offered to take care of you?"

"Yes."

"And you didn't go. You're a fool, Daniel." With the earlier tension completely broken now, Daniel laughed. "And Daniel…"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"Just…thank you."

/\/\/\/\

A/N: I kind of used Spencer and Daniel's conversation in this chapter to get some things off my chest about Reid's drug addiction.

9


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: **See my profile.

/\/\/\/\

'_**A Force of Nature: Part II'**_

Chapter Eight

/\/\/\/\

Three days later the elevator doors open and Reid and Daniel stepped off and walked into the BAU at ten in the morning. Daniel looked at the temporary badge he was wearing and commented, "I'm going to start a collection of these things, I think."

"You have three of them now," Reid joked.

"Daniel!" The two men turned around to see Garcia rushing toward them. She grabbed a hold of Daniel and hugged him. Daniel hugged her back, grimacing slightly.

"Uh, Penelope, I love you, but…"

"Oh sugar, I didn't hurt you did I?"

"Garcia, he only had the stitches taken out yesterday afternoon. He's still a little bruised. You have to be careful, that's all."

"I'm okay, Penelope. I guess you're happy to see me then?"

"Honey, I haven't seen you since that day in the hospital! Of course I'm happy to see you!"

"We certainly missed you at the house, didn't we Spencer?"

Reid nodded. "We've been boring each other silly with ridiculous stories and goofy games the last couple nights. We did try to work on Daniel's book a little, though."

"Did you hear from any of the schools you applied to yet?"

"No, but it's still a little soon. It may be a few weeks yet." Daniel slipped his arm around Garcia's waist as the three walked toward the conference room. "I've been going stir crazy! I've been trapped inside the house all day and all night. I haven't been able to go to the rink, and I think I even miss my coach yelling at me in Russian," he complained.

As the trio passed by Hotch's office the supervisory agent called out to them, "Daniel, I'd like to talk to you for a moment if you don't mind."

"We'll go on to the conference room," Reid said. He handed Daniel a paper bag he had been carrying and headed for the conference room with Garcia.

Daniel handed the bag to Hotch. "There is a box of brownies in there for you. My mother sent them after you talked to her on the phone and she heard we were coming here. She said she wanted 'that nice Agent Hotchner' to have them."

A small smile tugged at the corners of Hotch's mouth. "Thank you, Daniel."

Daniel walked into Hotch's office and sat down in a chair. "What did you want to talk to me about, Hotch?"

Hotch closed the office door about half way behind Daniel before sitting down in his own chair behind the desk. "First, Reid informed me a few days ago you wanted to speak to me regarding the fact we were both stabbed. I wanted to say I really don't think that would be appropriate at this point in time."

"I understand, Hotch."

"I know you have a lot to think about at this point in time regarding your career and going back to school; and that all of that is as important to you as my job is to me. I would like to suggest you consider working with a victim advocacy group of some kind. It's not only that they may be able to help _you,_ but also that you may be able to help them. A lot of victims find solace in assisting other victims, and when you have time, it could be something you might want to consider."

Daniel smiled. "Spencer said almost exactly the same thing. You think alike, I guess."

Hotch smiled himself. "Maybe we do think alike about some things. There is something else I would like to speak to you about."

"What's that?"

"Reid himself."

"Okay."

"I'd like to thank you for listening to him; for being interested in what he has to say, for just being a friend to him. Not enough people listen to him, I mean, really listen to him." Hotch paused briefly before sighing and continuing. "One of the problems Reid has had over the years is, of course, that he was always so much younger than everyone else. He graduated high school at twelve, he had three college degrees by eighteen, he joined the Bureau at an age that was two years younger than is normally allowed, and he joined the BAU at an age that is virtually unheard of. He's twenty-eight years old and he's still the youngest member of the BAU. He may remain the youngest for a while yet. What all that means is Reid never had the time or the opportunity to grow up properly in the emotional sense and to learn to deal with things the way most people his age would have. He never learned the social interaction the way he should have. He didn't learn how to properly develop relationships with people the way he should have; with women, with people his own age, even with children."

"People don't get that."

"No, they don't. They see someone Reid's age and they just assume he should be able to deal with things the same way they can. However, in reality even though he's grown up a lot he's still not where most people his age would be in some respects. He's way ahead of most people his age in education, job experience, and respect from his peers on the job; however, where he is now emotionally in many respects is probably where you were at least five years ago."

"And the fact he was always around people so much older means he had a hard time making friends."

"Aside from a few people his friends are all from work, and most of those are older than he is." Hotch shrugged. "I know a lot of people make close friends on the job, but it shouldn't be the only place you make them. We're all like family, not just Reid, but the family situation he was raised in didn't help him a whole lot. Morgan never had a brother, so he treats Reid like his little brother, and Reid feels the same way about Morgan. JJ, Garcia, and Prentiss-they're like his big sisters."

"And they tease him like big sisters would," Daniel grinned.

Hotch chuckled. "Yes, exactly right. Rossi doesn't know him as well as the rest of us do, but they get along fine. And myself and Reid, we're close and I think I can safely say there's a lot of mutual respect between us."

"Spencer does respect you-a lot. That's the biggest reason why you have his power of attorney."

"And there was Jason Gideon…"

"I know about Gideon."

"Somehow I'm not at all surprised to hear that. Reid seems to have opened up to you in a way he hasn't opened up to many other people. My wife, Haley? She liked Reid a lot. She treated him like a member of the family, said he needed to know what a real family was like. He took her death hard." There was a brief silence during which Hotch bowed his head and rubbed his temples as if he were in pain.

"I'm sorry," Daniel said softly. "Are you okay?"

Hotch nodded. "I'm fine, Daniel, thank you. And JJ and Will's son Henry, and my son Jack, they both think Reid is about the greatest thing since sliced bread. He used to be afraid of kids, but then Jack came along and JJ and Will made him Henry's godfather."

"You know my parents have practically adopted Spencer. And my mother is ready to adopt you also. She only makes brownies for people she likes."

"Daniel, your mother is only two years older than I am."

"She doesn't care how old people are when she decides they need adopting."

There was a knock on the office door and then Derek Morgan poked his head through the opening. "What the heck are you guys talking about in here?"

"You Derek, we're talking about you," Daniel quipped.

"I guess that explains why my ears are burning."

"Relax, Morgan, everything isn't about you," Hotch quipped.

"It isn't? You hurt my feelings, Hotch!"

"Let's just head for the conference room, shall we?"

"What's in the bag?"

"Nothing you need to know about Derek," Daniel answered.

"Oh now you've really hurt me!"

A few minutes all seven team members plus Daniel were seated around the round table in the conference room. "Okay, I'll start," Hotch said. "I wanted to mention before I forget Daniel has invited all of us plus our guests to attend a skating show in New York he will be appearing in on Saturday July 24th."

"That sounds great! Thank you, Daniel," JJ said. Daniel smiled in response.

"One of the reasons we're all here is so I may inform you the episode of_ 'America's Most Wanted'_ we're to be involved in is filming the week after next. The show will have a crew here to set up and begin filming a week from Monday. They are sending a separate crew down to Bermuda at the same time to shoot some scenes there. Of course there will also be filming done on the gas station out on US50 where Reid took down Carriol and Daniel tasered Douglas Hyde. Reid will also be appearing at the_ 'America's Most Wanted'_ studio with John Walsh to discuss the case."

"Yay!" Garcia said, patting an embarrassed Reid on the back.

"You need to go shopping for some appropriate attire kid," Morgan teased.

"We're going when we get to New York," Daniel interjected.

"I don't know why you people always think I need new clothes," Reid mumbled.

"Okay, all right," Hotch said, trying to suppress a grin. "I spoke to Daniel's parents yesterday and of course they, along with his brother, want to come in to the BAU and watch the show being filmed; and also to meet John Walsh and the rest of the team. I've told them they are welcome to come."

"Are you going down to Bermuda?" Rossi asked Daniel.

Daniel shook his head. "No, the producers are going to use actors and then show my video footage. Hotch told them with my security concerns right now he didn't think it was wise for me to leave the country."

"Daniel's mention of security concerns brings us to the other reason we're all here; and that is to talk about how we're going to provide security for Daniel while he travels to New York City, Los Angeles and possibly San Francisco for all the television appearances he has plans to make. JJ, if you don't mind?" JJ clicked on her remote and a chart with a list of Daniel's television appearances plus the city and the date appeared on the screen. "The only ones actually involved with the actual security detail will be Morgan and Reid. Everyone else will remain at Quantico to work on other cases. JJ, would you like to continue?"

"Monday afternoon Morgan, Reid and Daniel are driving up to New York City and checking into a hotel. I'm assuming that will be followed by the aforementioned shopping trip." She looked at Reid and smiled when Prentiss and Morgan laughed. "Tuesday morning Daniel has an appearance on_ 'The View'_, and at four pm that afternoon he has an appearance on_ 'The Joy Behar Show.' _Wednesday morning there is an appearance on_ 'Regis and Kelly'_, and later that evening_ 'Larry King Live.' _On Thursday morning Morgan, Reid and Daniel will fly to Los Angeles where he'll appear on_ 'Lopez Tonight'_ the same evening."

"Do you plan on taking a breath at any point?" Rossi joked. "You can't wait until Friday for that show?"

Daniel shook his head. "George Lopez doesn't film his talk show on Fridays."

"On Friday Daniel will be appearing on_ 'The Tonight Show with Jay Leno' _and_ 'The Craig Ferguson Show'_. The week after that Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday will be taken up by_ 'America's Most Wanted.'_ However, on Thursday since Daniel is insane basically, he will be going back to New York City and appearing on_ 'The Nancy Grace Show'_. His agent still has to work out dates and details with the producers of_ 'The Bonnie Hunt Show'_, which is taped in Los Angeles,_ 'What Would Brian Boitano Make'_, which is taped in San Francisco, and_ 'Paula's Party'_, which is taped in New York, as well as a few others."

"Because you're so popular honey," Garcia commented, patting Daniel's hand.

"When do you go back to the rink?" Prentiss asked.

"Is today Friday?" Prentiss nodded. "Okay, then I go back to the rink tomorrow," Daniel answered. "I'll be there tomorrow, Sunday and then Monday morning before we leave for New York."

"Excuse me, but aren't you trying to do an awful lot in a short period of time?" Rossi asked. "Not to mention that you're still recovering from being stabbed."

"I appreciate your concern," Daniel commented. "But I'm getting all these offers, and I want to do this stuff while interest is high."

"And there's always the possibility it will help to catch the stalker," Reid added.

"That would certainly be a plus," Hotch said. "At all of these appearances either Morgan or Reid will be backstage watching from that location, while the other will be somewhere in the audience or to the front of the stage watching. The producers of all these shows are aware of the extra precautions that will need to be taken." He looked around the table. "Any questions?" When there were none he dismissed the team and left the conference room, followed by Rossi and then JJ.

"What are you doing this evening, sweetie?" Garcia asked.

"I don't know. We haven't decided yet."

"Good! I'll decide for you, then. I'll bring dinner. Then we'll play Monopoly and pop popcorn and watch some DVDs. It's all set."

"Looking forward to it!" Daniel called after her as she left the room.

/\/\/\/\

8


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: **See my profile.

/\/\/\/\

'_**A Force of Nature: Part II'**_

Chapter Nine

/\/\/\/\

"What are you guys doing tonight?" Morgan asked.

"Daniel can't stay up too late because he goes back to the rink tomorrow. Garcia is bringing dinner and we're going to play Monopoly and maybe watch a DVD or two."

"Are you looking forward to shopping Monday in New York City?" Prentiss teased.

"I don't know why everyone wants me to go shopping," Reid complained.

"Because we want you to start dressing in clothes that were in style this decade," Morgan joked.

Reid sighed. "There's nothing wrong with my clothes!"

"Not if your grandfather were wearing them," Daniel commented as he walked into the room.

"Come on, my clothes are not that bad!"

"You should have seen him a few years ago," Morgan said. "At least now he has a few nice shirts and pants with ties that actually match."

"And not as many sweater vests," Prentiss added.

"Don't you two have to leave?" Reid asked pointedly.

Morgan laughed. "Let's get going, Prentiss."

"Yes, we don't want poor Reid to get mad at us, do we?"

Reid made a face at the pair as they went out the front door and locked it behind them. "Very funny making fun of my clothes," he grumbled under his breath.

"What did you say, Spencer?"

"Nothing, Daniel. It's not important."

"Spencer, you're not upset because we were teasing you about your clothes, are you?"

"No, why would I be?" Reid snapped.

"Come on, Spencer! We weren't trying to be mean. We were just kidding you."

"Whatever, Daniel."

"Geez, don't be so sensitive, Spencer!" Daniel walked over toward the bookcase where he kept his DVDs and CDs along with his books. "What time is Penelope coming over?"

"She said she would probably make it around 6:30 or 7."

"Come over here and help me pick out a couple songs to skate to before she gets here."

"You want me to help you pick some music?"

"Yes. I want to create two new programs for that show on July 24th. It's going to be televised live on ABC in primetime, you know. I need to start thinking about the music I want to use." The two men sat down on the floor in front of the bookcase and Daniel reached for a stack of CDs. "I got some more good news today," he commented.

"More good news? What happened?"

Daniel smiled. "I signed the book deal today. My agent brought the paperwork over a couple hours ago for me to sign."

"That's great! Didn't I tell you the book deal would come through?"

"Yes you did, Spencer. Thank you for believing in me."

"What else could I do with someone as stubborn and determined as you are involved?"

"Oh, so now I'm stubborn?" Daniel laughed.

"You? Not much!"

"I think my parents would probably disagree."

"What kind of music are we looking for, by the way?"

"I'm thinking one song that might be a little inspirational; the other more fun. The song itself doesn't have to be funny. But the program I choreograph to it won't be all serious and heavy."

Reid handed Daniel a David Cook CD. "How about '_Time of My Life'_? That could be your inspirational song, based on the lyrics."

Daniel looked at the CD. He started humming the song to himself. He stood up, walked over to his stereo and put the CD into it. Once the song started to play he stood in front of the stereo with his eyes closed, hands moving in time to the music as he imagined skating moves fitted to it. Reid watched Daniel with his brow furrowed, finding the creative process he was going through to be fascinating. "Okay," Daniel said, once the song finished playing. "Good choice, I'm picking this one. Thank you, Spencer. I might not have thought of it otherwise."

"I just thought the lyrics fit where you are in your life right now."

"I think they do also…wait a minute!"

"What?"

"I think my agent knows David Cook's manager. Hold on, I'll be right back."

Reid stared after Daniel as he rushed out of the living room and down the hall into his bedroom. He shrugged and continued looking through the CD collection until Daniel came back a few minutes later. "My agent is going to call David's manager and ask if he might consider singing the song live while I skate to it. I skated in this show once where the GooGoo Dolls performed live, and it was cool skating to live music. I'd love to pull this one off."

"The GooGoo Dolls? Who thought that name up?" Reid asked, laughing.

"The guys in the band did. They named if after a doll they saw an ad for in _True Detective_ Magazine or something. What's the difference who thought it up? They went multi-platinum years ago, so it obviously worked for them."

"It just sounds silly," Reid said, laughing again.

Daniel shrugged as he looked at CDs, replacing each one on the shelf after he was done considering it. "It doesn't have to be a song I have in my collection, but I'd like it to be a song I have some familiarity with."

"Hey," Reid said, holding up a CD with a white cover. "Isn't this the CD those videos with Tawny Kitaen came from?"

"Yes, _'Whitesnake'_ by Whitesnake. Spencer, you are definitely full of surprises. I never would have guessed you knew their stuff." Daniel grinned when Reid blushed a little. "I get it, you only know if because of those videos, don't you?" Daniel laughed when Reid rolled his eyes. "Tawny Kitaen is too old for you, Spencer. Those videos are all over twenty years old and she went a little wacko in the head anyway," he teased. He popped open the CD case and inserted it into the CD player. "So, what song were you thinking of anyway?"

"No song in particular. I was just asking a question," Reid grumbled. When Daniel continued looking at him he continued, "Okay, I was thinking of _'Here I Go Again'_."

Daniel laughed and skipped ahead to that song on the CD. This time he just sat in front of the stereo listening to the song play and hummed along. He paused the CD at the end of the song and said, "I've always liked the change of tempo in this song, from the slow ballad like part at the beginning to the faster more hard rock part. Hmm, I think I could really do something with this song." Daniel played the song a second time just listening to it, and then popped the CD out of the stereo, replaced it in its case, and stood up. "Thank you, Spencer. You chose both of my songs, and in less than an hour. If I'm lucky when I show them to my coach tomorrow I won't get any arguments and we can start working on the choreography." He put both the CDs they had chosen on top of the stereo just as a knock sounded at the front door.

"That must be Garcia," Reid said. "I'll get it." He went to the front door, looked through the peephole and then opened the door to let Garcia in.

"Greetings my gorgeous Junior G-Man," she chanted as she walked in. Reid laughed at her words. If anyone else referred to him as 'Junior G-Man' he probably would have felt like smacking them. However, Penelope Garcia could get away with it. He used to be a little sensitive about it even from her, but not as much anymore. He took her Monopoly game box from her and set it down on the coffee table in the living room.

"What did you bring us, Penelope?" Daniel asked, taking several bags from her and setting them down on the kitchen table.

"I brought homemade chili and cornbread from my own kitchen, along with cheesecake and strawberries for dessert."

Daniel groaned. "Penelope, why are you doing this to me? You know I'm going back to the rink tomorrow! I can't be eating cheesecake!"

"Oh, pooh! A little piece of cheesecake won't hurt you!" Garcia began pulling dishes out of the bags she had brought. "I also brought some honey butter to spread on the cornbread."

"Don't worry, Garcia, if he doesn't eat the cheesecake I'll be happy to eat his piece along with mine."

"Thanks a _lot_, Spencer!" Daniel grumbled.

After Garcia had heated up the chili and cornbread the three sat down at the table to eat. "Okay, Penelope, we picked out two songs for me to choreograph new programs to for the show in June. Maybe you could help me with the choreography."

"Seriously?" She looked at him. "You're just teasing me, aren't you?"

"No, I'm serious! You can tell me what moves you'd like to see me do and I'll see if we can fit them in. One of the songs Spencer and I picked out is '_Here I Go Again_' by Whitesnake."

"Great song! Oooh! I know just the perfect place for that great knee slide move you do! Oh, and splits! You have to do splits, Daniel! I know, first in one direction and turn around in the other direction like you did in that program from two years ago. And don't forget the hip swivels; you _have_ to do at least one of those!"

Daniel laughed. Reid grinned when he noticed Daniel was actually blushing, something he didn't think it was easy to make him do. "You like that move, hunh Penelope?" Daniel teased.

Garcia sighed. "I certainly do. I like _all_ your moves, sweetie."

"Well just for you I'll make sure I get the knee slide, the splits _and _the hip swivel in there."

"Oh, thank you. And I'm going to be right there at the show to watch you do them."

Daniel leaned over and put his arm around Penelope. "I know, Penelope. Thank you again for being my fan. You know I love you, right?"

Reid shook his head as Garcia blushed and giggled. "What other song did you pick?"

"We picked _'Time of My Life'_ by David Cook. What do you think?"

"Hmm, another good song. But I think you'll have to behave yourself skating to that one."

"Me? Behave myself? Why Penelope, you've hurt my feelings. I _always_ behave myself."

"Right," Garcia said, in between mouthfuls of chili. "Sure you do, Daniel. I've been your fan for a long time, and I know darn well you don't always behave yourself out on the ice."

Reid laughed out loud. "What are you laughing at, Spencer?"

"Oh, nothing."

"Uh, huh. Nothing. Right. You'd never even seen me skate until I lent you those DVDs to take home. So what do you know?"

Reid laughed again. It was nice to not be on the receiving end of the teasing for a change, he thought to himself.

/\/\/\/\

**A/N:** This chapter and at least the next couple chapters may be a little fluffy, doing the talk shows, shopping in New York, etc. After that we'll get a little more action with the stalker storyline.

**A/N:** David Cook was the Season Seven winner of _'American Idol'_.

.

.

7


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** See my profile.

/\/\/\/\

'_**A Force of Nature: Part II'**_

Chapter Ten

/\/\/\/\

_Sunday afternoon…_

"Are you sure Daniel doesn't mind?" Garcia asked.

"Garcia, he said it was okay. I talked to him last night about bringing you to the rink today. Besides it's you, and he'd make an exception for you anyway, no doubt."

"What about his coach?"

"Daniel told me last night when he went back yesterday morning she was so happy to see him she cried, hugged him and told him to never scare her like that again."

"Oh… So, she was really worried about him?"

Reid laughed. "I guess so. Despite how they argue sometimes I guess Daniel's almost like a son to her."

"That's nice! I guess Daniel has a lot of people who care about him. So his coach doesn't mind my watching his practice then?"

"He said no. Prentiss and Morgan are going to be there anyway. We're just two more people. As long as we don't interfere he says she's okay with us being there." He laughed. "I guess that means you have to behave, Garcia."

"You know me, Sugar."

"Yes, I do. That is why I said that means you have to behave," he said with a grin.

"You're such a brat sometimes, Agent Reid. I should smack you or something."

Reid laughed again as he pulled the car up outside the rink and parked it. He climbed out and then went around and opened Garcia's door for her. "Ow!" he protested when she smacked him on the shoulder.

"You deserve it," she said, marching up to the door and inside the rink.

Reid followed her inside and said, "Garcia smacked me on the shoulder, Morgan."

Morgan laughed. "How come?"

"Because I told her she had to behave."

"I told him he was a brat and then I smacked him," Garcia said, sitting down next to Prentiss. "Where's Daniel?" she asked, looking around the rink.

"He broke a lace so he had to go in the dressing room to re lace his skates," Prentiss said. She leaned toward Garcia and lowered her voice. "He's been working on the choreography for _'Here I Go Again'_. I have to tell you Garcia, that knee slide is to die for."

Morgan sighed. "You ladies are something else. You always have something to say about me looking at women, but it seems like you feel differently when you're looking at guys."

"Hypocrisy," Reid stated simply.

"It is not," Prentiss said indignantly.

"Yeah? What is it then?" Morgan asked.

"It's uh…well, It's not… Oh, never mind!"

Morgan and Reid both laughed. "Okay, I admit it for both of us. We look at guys, we talk about guys, and we look at guys' rear ends… And yes, sometimes it irritates us when you do the same thing with women. So yes, I suppose this is an issue we can be a bit hypocritical about," Garcia said.

"Okay, as long as you're willing to admit it," Reid said.

"I didn't admit it," Prentiss huffed.

"That's because you're stubborn," Reid remarked. Prentiss glared at him and then turned her attention back to the ice when she saw Daniel come out of the dressing room on the other side of the building.

"Penelope! You're here," Daniel called out. He stepped out on to the ice, skated over to their side of the rink and stepped off the ice to hug Garcia. He then sat down next to her and put his arm around her.

"Calm down! I just saw you Friday night," Garcia giggled.

"Of course I remember that! You brought me homemade chili and then after you helped me choreograph my programs you beat me at Monopoly."

"But Reid creamed both of us," Garcia laughed.

"What, again?" Morgan laughed. "You keep this up kid; no one is going to play any kind of game with you."

"If Garcia and Daniel had been paying attention to the game instead of fooling around one of them might have won instead of me. Monopoly isn't my best game."

Morgan laughed again. "What were the two of you doing?"

"They were laughing, poking each other in the ribs and making lists of things they think I ought to purchase when we go shopping in New York City. That kind of thing."

It was Emily's turn to laugh. "What did you decide Reid needed?"

"Daniel is thinking more in the direction of the _'GQ'_ look, while I'm thinking casual. You know, I think he could use some jeans, tee shirts, that sort of thing."

"No one is asking _me_ what I want," Reid complained.

"That's because you need a stylist Spencer," Daniel remarked. "What you want isn't necessarily what will look good on you." He removed his arm from Garcia's shoulder, gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and then stood up. "Got to get back out there. Watch me, Penelope!"

"Absolutely," she said, giggling again.

Reid sat down dejectedly next to Morgan. "There is no way I'm getting out of this shopping thing, am I?"

"Nope," Morgan replied.

"It doesn't at all matter what I want, does it?"

"Apparently not," Prentiss replied.

"Garcia actually gave Daniel a list of items she thinks I need to buy!"

"I know," Morgan said. "She gave me a copy of the same list."

Reid sighed and shook his head. He knew he wasn't exactly a fashion plate, and though his fashion sense had improved, due partly to influence from Garcia, JJ and Prentiss, he probably could use some new clothes. He just hoped Daniel and Morgan didn't go overboard so that he ended up spending a fortune or maxed out his credit cards. He looked over at Garcia when she let out a squeal. "What?" he asked.

"Splits, he's practicing splits," she sighed.

Morgan shook his head. "Honestly!" Garcia stuck her tongue out at him. Morgan laughed at her and then called out to Daniel, "Garcia is squealing over your splits, Daniel."

Daniel actually blushed a little. "They were her idea in the first place," he called back. He skated back over to where they were sitting. "So Derek, we still haven't gotten you out on the ice. When are you going to come skating?"

"As soon as Reid does."

"Nice try, Morgan! That wasn't part of the deal. Besides, I went skating with Karyn the other day while you were at Daniel's house."

"I know you're lying to me, Reid."

"No he isn't, Derek. He did go skating with Karyn Friday afternoon before he came over to my house for the night shift. If he's willing to risk falling on his butt in front of a beautiful woman, surely you can try it. Olivia has been waiting for you to come by."

"Never mind that, Daniel. Reid, how come you didn't tell me about this?"

"You don't need to know everything about my life, Morgan."

"How else can he tease you if he doesn't know?" Prentiss asked.

"How did it go?" Garcia asked.

"Okay," Reid answered. "We skated, we had some fun afterward. It was a nice afternoon."

"Okay? Is that all you're going to tell me?"

"Yes, Garcia. That is all I'm going to tell you."

"What kind of 'fun' did you have after you skated?"

"Nothing you need to know about, Garcia."

"Come on Reid, give!" Morgan said.

"No."

"I can tell you she added her two cents worth to the shopping issue," Daniel laughed.

"No kidding?" Morgan asked.

Reid sighed. "Yes, Karyn has her own thoughts as to what style of clothing I should be purchasing."

"Like what?" Garcia asked.

"Karyn thinks I need jeans and casual shirts and slacks, but she also said I would look good in an Armani suit," Reid said, blushing.

"Armani? You buy an Armani suit and that's all you'll be able to afford," Prentiss said.

"True, but he sure would look good in it," Garcia teased.

Daniel started laughing, but quickly groaned when he heard his coach calling him. "I've been kind of lazy today. I need to get back out on the ice." He stood up. "Penelope, I'm going to practice a couple of triples, and then I'm going to do a run through of the entire _'Here I Go Again'_ number. Be sure to watch, because after that we're going to start working on _'Time of My Life'._ "

Garcia watched him skate out to the other side of the ice where his coach stood waiting. "I get to see the whole program," she said with a silly grin on her face.

"You'll like it," Prentiss said knowingly.

/\

Flashback to Friday afternoon…

"_Are you sure this is a good idea, Karyn? I have not had a pair of ice skates on my feet since I was seventeen years old!" He looked around the rink at all the other skaters present on the ice._

"_Come on, Spencer. You'll love it. You already know how to skate, and it's not like I'm an expert skater myself. We'll just skate around the edges of the rink and have a little fun. I think it's kind of romantic."_

_Reid smiled at her. "Okay, let's try it."_

_The two were at a public session at the same rink in Rockville that Daniel trained at. His training partner Olivia helped them to pick out skates and lace them up. "I sure am looking forward to Daniel coming back to the rink tomorrow," she sighed. "It's not nearly as much fun without him here. He makes me laugh. I miss him!"_

"_Unfortunately he'll only be around for three days and then take off on a round of interviews and talk show appearances," Reid said._

_Olivia sighed. "I know. But I guess he'll be back again in a few days." She smiled and looked at Reid. "So, when is your friend Agent Morgan going to come and skate? Daniel said I should skate with him like he skated with your friend Penelope."_

_Reid laughed. "I guess he'll do it when Daniel can convince him. He finds one excuse after another to not go skating. I think he's afraid, like me, that he'll fall on his rear end…"_

"_Oh, you won't fall Spencer! Come on, both of you! Let's get going here, come on!" _

_Reid made a face and gingerly stood up on the skates he was wearing. Holding on to both Olivia and Karyn he stepped carefully out on to the ice. Olivia stepped away as Karyn and Reid each wrapped an arm around the other's waist. Reid tentatively tried to move forward, and found that it was easier than he thought. It only took him a few minutes to feel almost comfortable on the ice. 'How funny,' he thought to himself. 'People joke about my clumsiness, but I'm out on a sheet of ice standing on metal blades and I'm doing okay. Maybe I'm not so clumsy after all! At least not out on the ice.' After skating for about half an hour Karyn turned toward Reid and wrapped her arms around him. She leaned close to him and kissed him. Though he was slightly taken aback at her public display of affection Reid still kissed her back until the sound of Olivia clearing her throat brought them both back to reality. Blushing slightly Reid and Karyn pulled apart. Reid looked around and noticed some of the other skaters were looking at the two of them and smiling. He looked sheepishly at Olivia. "Um, I think we're done skating for now." _

_Olivia giggled and helped them both off the ice. "I think you two should go have some fun before you have to go over Daniel's house tonight," she teased. _

"_I agree," Karyn said. "We have almost three hours." She smiled up at Reid._

/\/\/\/\

**A/N:** What do you suppose Reid and Karyn did for almost three hours? I have no idea, but I can use my imagination, can't I? Hee, hee…

7


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: **See my profile.

/\/\/\/\

'_**A Force of Nature: Part II'**_

Chapter Eleven

/\/\/\/\

"Geez Daniel, what's with all of this luggage? You're only going to be gone a few days. What do you need all of this for?"

"Derek, once we leave this house we'll be gone five days. I need to have enough clothes with me to last that long, plus anything else I might need."

Morgan laughed. "You have enough bags here for at least two weeks' worth of clothes."

"I know, Derek. I'm not sure what outfits I want to wear in every situation, so I just brought more than I need."

"Daniel, you have more luggage here than Reid and I put together."

"It is true he'll be appearing on television, but we will not. I suppose that means he needs more clothes than we do," Reid added.

"Right. However, in Spencer's case he will be acquiring more clothes, so he should bring extra bags to pack the new stuff in unless we buy one while we're out shopping this afternoon."

Reid made a face. "I'm not looking forward to this shopping thing," he complained.

"Quit whining, Spencer. Most people I know think shopping with me is fun."

"I'm not most people," Reid grumbled.

"Obviously," Morgan laughed.

"Shut up, Morgan."

"What stores are we going to hit?" Morgan asked.

"I have it all planned out. Once we check into the hotel we hit the stores and then we'll have dinner at a nice restaurant I'll tell you about later. It will probably be too late to do any more shopping after dinner, so we should try to finish it all this afternoon." He put one last carryon sized bag on top of his stack of luggage before continuing. "Since my coach cancelled practice this morning we're getting started earlier than we figured. So we should have plenty of time. I thought we could start with The Original Levis Store, and then there's this shop right across the street that sells leather goods at discount prices where we could look for a jacket…"

"Wait," Morgan interrupted. "We're shopping at a Levis store? I thought you were going for designer clothes and a _'GQ'_ look?"

"First off, I wear jeans also, and they're not always designer jeans. Second, I have orders from Karyn and Penelope. They both say Spencer needs snug jeans that fit right and that Levis are the best at that. I don't disagree with them, so I've decided that's where we're going to start."

"I know no one cares what _I_ think, even though we _are_ shopping for me," Reid complained.

"You're right, kid. No one cares what you think," Morgan grinned. "Okay, let's get this show on the road. We can discuss where to shop on the way." He shook his head as he looked at Daniel's luggage again, and then picked up his own bags. "I'll come back and help you with yours, Daniel." Reid picked up his bags, and grabbed one of Daniel's before heading to the car. Daniel opened the back of his car and the three men started loading their bags inside. They were driving Daniel's car into New York City, and then parking it in long term parking at JFK once they were headed for Los Angeles. They would then fly back into JFK and drive Daniel's car back into the DC area. Their other choice would have been to drive back to DC from New York and fly out to Los Angeles from one of the local airports. They decided they liked the flying out of New York option better. It took three trips from them to get all of their bags to the car; the last two trips consisting entirely of Daniel's bags.

"I'm surprised all that actually fit in the car," Reid commented, as he placed the last two bags on the driver's side of the back seat.

"Okay," Daniel said as he unlocked the car doors. "Who is riding shotgun, and who is sitting in the back seat?"

"We've both driven with you, so you have managed to scare the hell out of both of us with your driving."

"Gee, thanks Spencer!" Daniel said sarcastically. "So, does that mean neither one of you wants to ride in the front seat with me?"

"No, that means we're going to flip a coin."

"Why bother?" Morgan asked. "You know you always lose coin flips, Reid."

"Ha, ha!"

Daniel pulled a quarter out of his pocket and said, "Okay, who wants to call it?"

"Go ahead, Reid."

"I call heads."

Daniel tossed the coin in the air, caught it and flipped it over onto his wrist. "You lose, Spencer. It's tails."

"Naturally," Reid frowned. "You better keep at least one hand on the wheel at all times, Daniel, preferably both hands." He climbed into the passenger seat. "And keep your eyes on the damn road!"

Morgan laughed as he climbed into the back seat and Daniel climbed into the driver's seat and inserted the key into the ignition. "I _should_ be insulted," he said. "However, since my own mother says the same thing as you Spencer, I guess I really shouldn't be." He started the car and pulled away from the curb. "How about we stop for lunch somewhere along the way?"

"Sounds good to me," Morgan said.

Reid laughed and then turned to look at Morgan. "I just realized we would be passing within a few miles of Daniel's parents' house. Alex and Caroline haven't met you yet Morgan. We ought to drop by there for lunch!"

Morgan shook his head as Daniel laughed. "We'd never get to New York if we did. Besides, my mom is at work today, and my dad does volunteer work on Monday mornings. But we should seriously stop by on our way back from New York on Saturday. Both of them would love it if we did."

"How long do you think it will take us to get to New York?"

"Come on, Reid! You mean you don't know that already?" Morgan joked.

"The distance from Daniel's house to our hotel is approximately 230 miles. Under ideal driving conditions we could expect the trip to take around four and a half hours. However, conditions may not be ideal the entire distance. We could run into road construction, detours, collisions…"

"Sorry I asked," Morgan said under his breath.

"Shall we sing the 'One Hundred Bottles of Beer' song?" Daniel joked.

"Must we?" Reid asked. He groaned as Morgan and Daniel began singing. "Aargh!" he complained loudly to no avail, as the two men continued singing.

/\

"I am embarrassed to be seen with either one of you let along both," Reid commented as Daniel pulled his car in front of their hotel on Central Park West and Columbus Circle in New York City.

Morgan laughed. "What did we do?"

"What didn't you do? You started off by singing that ridiculous beer song, and then you sang every other dumb road song you could come up with. You couldn't sing a good road song like _'Roll Me Away'_ or _'Born to Run'_; you had to think of every bad one ever written and sing _it_ instead. Then I had to listen to every unfunny joke you've ever told and I've already heard. Then any time you saw a good looking female in another vehicle you decided you needed to…"

"Never mind kid," Morgan interrupted as they opened their doors and climbed out of the car. "Anyway, look who's talking about unfunny jokes." Daniel handed his keys to a valet for parking and was given a ticket to retrieve them later. A bellman began unloading their luggage and stacking it on a cart for transfer to their room. A few minutes later they were walking inside the hotel lobby. "This is some class," Morgan remarked as he looked around the lobby and up at the ceiling. "Check out that chandelier!"

"It's a five-star hotel," Reid told him.

Since they had a reservation and their room was paid for it didn't take long for them to be checked in and in the elevator on the way to their room. "We usually stay in decent hotels, but they're not quite like this," Morgan remarked as the three men rode the elevator to their two-bedroom suite on the forty-fifth floor of the Trump International Hotel and Towers.

"Well, _'The View'_ is paying for it tonight and tomorrow night, so let's just enjoy it," Daniel said. "I sure couldn't afford a place like this on a regular basis."

Once they arrived at their floor the bellman unloaded their luggage in the suite, and departed with the empty cart after being tipped by Daniel. "We have two bathrooms," Morgan said. "I suggest we figure out who goes in what bedroom and then freshen up before we go out shopping."

"It looks like this bedroom has a king size bed, and the other one over there has two twins. Therefore I think we can safely assume this one is Daniel's and the other one is ours," Reid said.

"Yeah. I guess Daniel's the reason we're here so we ought to let him have the king size bed," Morgan said with a grin. "Besides with all the luggage he has there wouldn't be any space for another person in his room."

"Thanks, Derek," Daniel commented as Reid laughed.

"We also have a kitchen," Reid commented as he wandered around the suite.

"A kitchen I have no intention of using," Daniel said. "We're in a hotel with its own five-star restaurant in a city known for great dining. I'm not cooking anything while I'm here. We are having dinner this evening at the Mesa Grill."

"Bobby Flay's restaurant?" Reid asked.

"You got it. My agent was able to get us a reservation for 9 pm. That's the nice restaurant I said I would tell you about later."

"No kidding?" Morgan remarked. "Do we have to dress up?"

"I have no idea. Maybe we should call them and ask?"

"It's probably casual and not too fancy," Reid said.

"So no tuxedo, but also no tee shirts and shorts," Morgan joked.

/\

_Continued in Chapter Twelve (which will be posted shortly) since this one was getting too long… _

/\/\/\/\

A/N: I looked all over the Internet to try and find out what hotel _'The View' _puts its guests up in. I couldn't find out, and I haven't been able to watch the show lately to find out. They usually tell you at the end of these shows where their guests stay, but I am fairly certain it's not going to be quite as snazzy as the Trump International. According to their website (.com/Hotel_Overview/hotel_ ), the hotel's two-bedroom suites are either on floors three through seventeen with a view of Central Park, or floors sixteen through fifty-nine with a view of Columbus Circle; so I just randomly decided to pick out forty-five as our boys' floor number.

.com/newyorkcity/

7


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer:** See my profile.

/\/\/\/\

'_**A Force of Nature: Part II'**_

Chapter Twelve

/\/\/\/\

"I am serving notice I am irritated and not in favor of this at all," Reid complained as he stood in the elevator with his arms folded. Daniel stood to his right and Morgan to his left as they descended to the hotel lobby.

"Quit whining," Daniel said, as the elevator doors opened at the lobby level.

Morgan laughed. "I don't get what you're complaining so much about, Reid."

"I _hate_ going shopping!"

"Reid, how would you know you hate shopping? The girls are always trying to help you shop, but you usually won't go. Your idea of shopping for yourself is just grabbing something you think is in your size without trying it on. You don't seem to get not all clothes fit the same, so some of it is too baggy or the pants too short…"

"Come on, Morgan!"

"Not to mention half of it is way out of style for someone your age." As the three men walked outside Daniel indicated they would like a taxi and the doorman hailed one for them. Daniel tipped him and the three men climbed into a taxi.

"750 Lexington Avenue," Daniel said, giving the driver the address of their first stop.

A few minutes later the three men were walking into the Levis Store. "That was a short ride. We could have walked," Reid remarked.

"Well we didn't walk," Daniel commented. "Okay, we need black jeans and blue jeans, at least six pair total."

"_Why_ do I need black jeans?"

"Because you don't have any in your closet, Spencer." Spotting a salesclerk he waved. "Excuse me!"

"You've never _seen_ my closet, Daniel."

"Am I wrong?"

Reid frowned. "No," he finally said.

"Hello, I'm Tina. What may I help you with?" The salesclerk smiled at Daniel.

"My friend here needs jeans." He handed her a piece of paper. "This is what we're looking for."

"Don't ask him what size. I don't think he knows his correct size," Morgan added.

Reid blushed. "Morgan!"

Tina laughed and looked Reid up and down. "I think I can guess fairly closely. I'll be right back."

"I am _not_ trying on six pair of jeans!" Reid insisted.

"You _are_ trying them on, Spencer. _All_ of them!"

"Why, Daniel? They're just jeans!"

"They are different styles of jeans that may not necessarily fit the same."

Just then Tina came back with six pair of jeans. "Here you are," she said, handing them to Reid.

"Go ahead and try them on, kid." Reid glared at Morgan and then followed Tina to the dressing room. "And come out and show us each pair," Morgan called after him.

A few minutes later Reid came out of the dressing room in a pair of grey skinny jeans and a blue NYC Graphic Tee Shirt. "Perfect fit!" Tina exclaimed.

"We'll take these," Daniel said. "Next pair, Spencer."

"Do _I_ get any say at all in this?"

"No," Daniel and Morgan said at the same time.

Tina looked at the two men as Reid headed back into the dressing room. "He hates shopping and he doesn't have the best fashion sense," Morgan commented.

"Oh, okay." Reid came out next in a pair of faded blue slim jeans and another graphic tee. "I think you could go a size smaller on these," Tina said. "I'll go grab another pair." While she reached for the smaller pair Reid made a face at Daniel and Morgan and then headed back to the dressing room.

A little while later the three men brought all their purchases up to the register. They had decided on a pair of faded blue slim jeans, two pair of black jeans, a pair of dark blue stonewashed jeans, and two pair of skinny jeans, one grey and one dark blue, along with two graphic tee shirts. "I'm paying and I don't even have a say in what I'm purchasing for myself," Reid complained as he handed Tina his credit card.

"You guys are funny," Tina commented as she rang up their purchases. When she was finished she handed Reid's credit card back to him and bagged the jeans and shirts.

As they picked up the bags Reid told her, "Thank you for putting up with me, Tina. You've been very helpful."

"No problem. I'm glad I was able to help."

Morgan put his arm around Reid's shoulder as they left the Levis store. "Ready for our next stop, kid?"

"No!" Reid grumbled.

"Too bad. We're going over there," Daniel said, pointing across the street to a store that sold leather goods.

The three men waited for a break in traffic before running across Lexington Avenue. As they walked inside the store Reid shoved his bags at Morgan and said, "Here, carry these!"

"Hello, I'm Rita," a salesclerk greeted them almost immediately. "How may I help you?"

"We're looking for a leather jacket for my friend here," Daniel said, pointing at Reid.

"We can handle that. Black or brown leather?"

"Let's look at both, in a couple of different styles."

Rita nodded and started to turn away, but then she turned back around. "I was thinking, perhaps you would consider a pair of leather pants as well? I think you would look good in them," she told Reid.

Reid blushed slightly. "Uh, maybe some other time," he stammered.

Rita nodded. "How about you two gentlemen?" she asked, looking from Daniel to Morgan. "I think you would all three look good in them."

"No thanks, Rita. Not this time. We're just shopping for my friend here," Morgan responded.

"Hmm. It figures! I so seldom get male customers in here trying on leather pants that have any business wearing them. Today I have three guys in here at once that would look good in them and none of you even want to try a pair on. Just my bad luck." She turned around and walked away.

"Hmm… Do you think she really meant that, Derek?" Or is she just trying to sell us all leather pants?"

Morgan chuckled. "Uh, I don't know. Hopefully she actually meant it."

Rita came back carrying four leather jackets for Reid to try on. "We have a mirror right over here Sir," she said, leading him to a full length mirror.

Reid first tried on a black motorcycle style jacket. Turning to look at himself in the mirror he commented, "It fits, but it's not really me."

"It might be if you had the leather pants," Rita commented, eliciting another chuckle from Morgan.

Reid handed her the jacket and reached for a brown bomber style jacket. "No leather pants," he said firmly as he pulled the jacket on. As he turned to look at himself from all sides he continued, "I want this one. Definitely. I like it."

"I have two more."

"No, I want this one!" A few minutes later they left the store with the jacket. "Where to now?" Reid sighed.

"Back to the hotel, drop off the bags, and then there's a men's store on Broadway we're going to hit for shirts and dress slacks. After that, there's a place a few blocks over I know of that sells tee shirts and more casual clothing where you should be able to find a few shirts and pants."

"Daniel, how many pair of pants do you think I need? I just bought six pair of jeans plus I do have some clothes already."

"Such as they are, Spencer. Come on, you know half of what you wear should just be tossed in a donation bin at Goodwill or something!"

"Only half?" Morgan laughed.

"Come on," Reid complained. "I'm tired of you guys insulting my taste in clothes!"

"We can't insult what you don't have, Pretty Boy!"

"Come on, Derek! That's _not_ very nice!"

"Then why are you laughing, Daniel?"

Within a few minutes they were back at the hotel. "See? I told you we could have walked," Reid said as they walked through the lobby and over to the elevators. Once they reached their suite they dropped the shopping bags off and left again immediately. Once back down in the lobby Daniel again asked for a cab. "Too far to walk?" Reid asked, folding his arms in annoyance.

"It's about four and a half miles. Not a killer distance, but I'd rather cab it," Daniel said as they climbed into a cab.

"Too bad this isn't _Cash Cab*_," Morgan joked as Daniel gave the driver the address of their destination.

"Yes, so I could answer all the questions and you could keep the money."

"I'd give you a share kid," Morgan laughed.

"Gee thanks!"

A few minutes later the trio walked into a men's clothing store. "What are we looking for here that I neither want nor need?"

"Slacks, shirts, maybe ties," Daniel responded.

"I have plenty of ties."

"Most of which are unsightly," Morgan added.

Daniel informed the salesman who approached them Reid needed to try on an assortment of slacks in gray, black and blue with shirts that would match. The next thing Reid knew he was being shoved into another dressing room with a stack of pants and shirts to try on. His first try was a pair of dark blue slacks with a shirt the same color. He looked at himself in the full length mirror and realized the outfit looked pretty good on him. The fit on the slacks was nearly perfect, and the length was longer than he usually ended up wearing. 'This will put an end to those dumb comments about my wearing flood pants,' he thought. He picked up one of the ties the salesman had included in the selections and held it up against the shirt. The color match was perfect. The salesman obviously knew what he was doing.

"Spencer Reid! Get your butt out here!" Reid heard Morgan calling.

Reid sighed and walked out of the dressing room to show Daniel and Morgan. "I feel like a runway model or something," he commented as his friends looked over his outfit.

"They get paid for walking around in fancy clothes," Daniel commented.

"Haven't you walked a few runways?" Morgan asked Daniel.

"I walked a couple of them during Fashion Week here in New York last year."

Reid sighed. "Can we get back to my clothes, please?"

"Looks great, kid. Perfect in fact. Garcia said 'make sure he buys long pants', and I think those fit the bill."

"Looks good, Spencer."

'Great. All the others are the same size and length, so I don't have to try them on, right?" At the looks on his friends' faces he sighed and then turned around and headed back toward the dressing room. Reid next came out wearing charcoal gray slacks and a black shirt and tie. It quickly met with Daniel and Morgan's approval, so he headed back to the dressing room once more. "I really hate this," he grumbled, as he took off the outfit and reached for the next pair of slacks. The three men left the men's store forty-five minutes later with three pair of slacks; one blue, one gray and one black; along with six shirts in dark blue, black, white, cobalt, light blue and gray, as well as two new ties. "Is it dinner time yet?" Reid asked.

"One last stop, Spencer. Then we'll be done."

"I think I have enough clothes now."

"You don't have everything I promised Penelope you would get," Daniel said.

Reid groaned. "What _else_ do I need?"

"A purple tee shirt and some other stuff."

"Like what 'other stuff'?"

Daniel looked at Reid as the three men walked down Broadway toward their next destination. "The place we're going to sells tee shirts and a lot of punk, rocker and skater style clothing. Penelope thinks you should dress like a rock star; you know skinny black pants, low slung, wide belt, snug shirts…"

"Not in this lifetime, Daniel!" Reid interrupted.

"Come on! You'll look like Billy, from _'Billy the Exterminator'_**," Daniel commented.

"Garcia would think that was a good thing," Morgan teased.

"I am _not_ wearing all black all the time, and a chain belt, and…"

"Oh, so you watch the show?"

"Yes Morgan, I watch the show."

"I think you should do your hair like Billy's."

"I don't think so, Daniel!" Both Daniel and Morgan laughed at Reid's response.

"Here we are," Daniel said a few minutes later before pushing open the shop door and going inside. They were greeted almost immediately by a salesclerk with spiked hair and wearing black pants, a tee shirt with a skull and crossbones on it, and a name tag identifying him as 'Kyle'. "My friend here is looking for several things Kyle, and I actually have a list for you." He handed the clerk a piece of paper like he had handed Tina at the Levis store.

Kyle looked at the list and then at Daniel. "Did you get this off our website?" he asked.

Daniel nodded. "A female friend of ours picked it all off your website."

Kyle laughed. "Okay." He looked at Reid. "I think your friend has the sizes correct. I'll be right back."

While the three men waited for Kyle to return they looked around the shop. "You know Daniel, this really doesn't seem like your kind of place," Morgan commented.

"I've bought a few items here, some for me, but mainly for my brother Mark. He's into the skater look, and they have a lot of the shirts he likes to wear."

"It's not my kind of place either," Reid added, knowing his friends wouldn't care.

"Sure kid," Morgan laughed.

Kyle came back carrying two pair of pants, a studded leather belt, two shirts, a vest and three tee shirts. "I'll show you to the dressing room," he told Reid.

Reid looked back at Daniel and Morgan and said, "I despise both of you."

When Kyle looked quizzically at the two of them Daniel remarked, "He hates to shop and we're making him do it anyway."

Once again Reid found himself in a dressing room trying on clothes. "Garcia and I are having a talk when I get back. So are Karyn and I," he grumbled aloud. A few minutes later he stepped out wearing a pair of Dogpile Zombie Black Jeans and a snap front black shirt with a skinny black tie.

"Oh, you are _so_ buying both of those Spencer," Daniel said.

"Yippee, can I go change now?"

"Sure, kid." After he walked away Morgan looked at Kyle and added, "We've been dragging him around shopping for hours now. He's a little grumpy."

"I see," Kyle said.

Reid next walked out in a pair of black stretch denim punker pants with a Punk Rock Military Shirt. "I have to admit, I kind of like how this outfit looks. I really like this shirt," he said.

"Yeah, that shirt is popular," Kyle commented.

"I'm definitely taking this outfit," Reid said before heading back to the dressing room. This time they walked out of the store with a Punk Rock Faux Leather Black Vest, the military style shirt, the studded black leather belt, the snap front shirt with the skinny tie, the punker pants, the black jeans, and three shirts; a plain purple tee shirt, a polo style purple tee shirt, and a pink and black tee shirt. At first Reid had balked at the pink and black shirt, not quite understanding why Penelope Garcia wanted him to have something pink, but when Daniel had threatened to call her and have her discuss it with him personally he had caved in and added the shirt to his purchases. Reid added up all the items in his head as the three of them stood outside the store. "Do you realize I purchased a total of two ties, one vest, one leather jacket, one belt, eleven pair of pants and thirteen shirts today?"

"It's not like you can't use it all," Morgan commented.

"Yeah," Daniel added. "Maybe we should look for some matching socks and boxer shorts now."

"No," Reid said firmly. "Absolutely nothing else today. I can't handle anymore." He started walking determinedly back in the direction they had come.

/\

"I'd like to say I don't even want to know how much money I spent today, but I've added it all up in my head and I know _exactly_ how much money I spent today." Reid looked at the numerous bags the three of them were carrying, and thought about the bags they had already deposited back in their hotel suite. "What am I going to do with all this stuff?" he asked. "If we were just driving back to D.C. it would be one thing, but I can't take all these shopping bags on a plane to California and back."

"I suppose we could lock whatever you don't need in Los Angeles in the car in the compartment with the spare tire while it's parked at JFK. I'm not positive how safe that would be though. We should go for an extra bag, I think. I think a good sized duffel bag should be able to handle it."

"_All_ of it?" Reid asked.

"If we pack it right yes," Daniel responded. "Well, maybe. Anyway, there's a shop we passed on the way here from the men's store that has reasonable prices on items like that. We can stop in there and then get a cab back to the hotel after we're through."

"And then we can get all prettied up and changed for dinner," Morgan joked.

"I'm looking forward to dinner," Reid added.

"Me too," Daniel agreed.

"Mesa Grill, here we come!"

/\/\/\/\

*'_Cash Cab'_ is kind of a game show on the Discovery Channel where Ben the cab driver asks his passengers questions for cash prizes as he transports them to their destination.

**'_Billy the Exterminator'_ is a reality show on A&E about a family run extermination business in Louisiana. Billy himself looks and dresses like a punk rocker, with a hairstyle to match.

11


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: **See my profile.

**Warning:** There is some language a little over halfway through the chapter.

/\/\/\/\

'_**A Force of Nature: Part II'**_

Chapter Thirteen

/\/\/\/\

"So you'll be backstage, Derek, and Spencer will be sitting in the audience?" Daniel asked, as he fidgeted backstage at ABC Studios.

"Yes, Daniel. Calm down! You've done shows like this before. Why are you so nervous?"

"This is different. The stakes are different. The questions will be different. I'll be getting asked about being stabbed, and aside from talking to the police and you two I haven't talked about it that much. Not to mention my stalker is still out there."

"You talked about it quite a bit to your friends, like Tanith for example," Reid told him.

"I didn't really talk about the actual attack, and that's what I'm nervous about now."

"You have all these shows booked, and all the hosts are going to ask you about it, Daniel."

"I know, Spencer."

"Maybe it will get easier after you get the first show out of the way this morning?" Morgan asked.

"I hope so, Derek."

"Where are we having dinner tonight?" Morgan asked in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"There are so many great restaurants in this city we can choose from," Reid said. "The Mesa Grill was excellent last night, even if you did insist on asking if Bobby Flay was there, Morgan."

Morgan laughed. "The waiter said most of the customers ask the same question."

"I suppose it is a normal question to ask in that situation," Reid responded. "Maybe we should stay around the hotel tonight. After all, we're not in New York to go out on the town. We're here to protect Daniel."

Morgan sighed. "You have a point, kid."

"I wonder what going out on the town with you two would be like if we had nothing else to worry about?" Daniel laughed.

Morgan laughed in response. "With me it would be fun, with this guy here, who knows?"

"Ha, ha Morgan!"

"Actually Daniel, Reid does attract plenty of female attention; he just doesn't pay attention enough to notice."

Daniel laughed as Reid told Morgan to shut up. "I have a girlfriend now, Morgan. Besides going out isn't just about attracting female attention."

"Sure kid…"

At that moment the show's production assistant came up to them and informed Daniel they had two minutes until the show started. Reid left the backstage area and went around to sit in the third row aisle seat _The View_ producers had set aside for him to sit in. The hosts Joy Behar, Whoopi Goldberg, Sherri Shepherd and Elizabeth Hasselbeck were introduced, and Reid soon found himself tuning out their banter as he looked around the studio and the audience to ascertain if there were any threats to Daniels' safety. He turned his attention back to the hosts a little while later when Daniel was introduced to the audience. Daniel walked out waving to the audience and sat down between Joy and Sherri. Daniel expressed his hope the show's other co-host, Barbara Walters, would have a quick recovery from her recent heart surgery. Elizabeth asked him about his Olympic experience, and then Joy brought up his connection to the Carriol case and the upcoming _America's Most Wanted_ episode. Daniel made a point of saying it was F.B.I. Special Agent Spencer Reid who had taken Carriol down, and that Reid was also part of his protection detail. Whoopi then asked about his stalker and he explained that after Carriol had been captured he had dropped his protection; but the F.B.I. had not given him a choice of having protection once he had been attacked. "I have two F.B.I. agents here in the studio with me right now," Daniel said.

Sherri looked around and said, "You meant there are government men here with guns?"

Reid rubbed his left temple hoping no one would notice him when Joy jokingly asked, "Are they good looking government men?"

Daniel laughed. "I don't know. I don't think of them that way."

"I think one of them is standing over there," Elizabeth teased, pointing in Morgan's direction.

Everyone turned and looked at Morgan. "Hi there honey!" Whoopi called to him.

Morgan shook his head. "It's a good thing we're not undercover," he remarked to the production assistant standing next to him.

The PA grimaced. "Sorry," he said. "We don't always know in advanced everything they're going to say. They do adlib a lot."

/\

"I'm sorry I dragged the two of you into this," Daniel remarked an hour later as they headed back to the hotel.

"You did tell them you had two F.B.I. agents there, but they actually knew we were there already. So, in a way, what you said didn't matter that much."

"Besides, the kid's all over the Internet and he'll be seen on _America's Most Wanted_ in a couple weeks; so it's not like either one of us can hide."

"We'll just never be able to work undercover again," Reid remarked.

Daniel made a face. "That could be a good thing or a bad thing, I suppose. I'll make sure I don't bring it up on any of the other shows."

"It's okay to talk about it, Daniel. Everyone already knows you have protection not only because of the stalking case, but also because you're considered to be a witness in the Carriol case," Morgan said. "Even though he's been captured; until he goes to trial you and the others are considered to be witnesses."

The three men had lunch soon after returning to the hotel, and a few hours later they were sitting in the studio green room waiting for Daniel's appearance on _The Joy Behar Show_ to start. Daniel was set to appear approximately halfway into the one hour show. There was no live audience for this show as there had been earlier in the day for _The View_. That made Reid and Morgan's job a little easier. This time, though Joy did joke a little with Daniel, she focused mainly on the fact he had three stalkers and asked him questions about how he dealt with the aftermath of his attack; and also how his family and friends were handling it. Daniel told her how he had initially tried to hide the seriousness of if from his parents, but it hadn't worked and he had been forced to tell them the truth. That's when the press conference had been held and the public announcement made. Joy then asked Daniel about his book, the skating show in July, and his plans for going back to school. Daniel told her he was expecting to hear from three possible schools 'one way or another' at any time. Joy concluded the interview by telling Daniel what a strong person he was, and indicated she was looking forward to reading his book.

/\

"I am exhausted," Daniel groaned as once again the three men headed for their hotel. "It's not like I'm really exerting myself physically."

"Daniel, you have a couple weeks of this craziness. You haven't fully recovered from your stab wounds, so what do you expect?" Reid asked.

"I know you're trying to do all this while interest in you is high, but like we said before, maybe you're trying to do too much too soon?" Morgan added.

"I'll be okay, Derek. We decided not to do the morning shows, so that's something. I can sleep a little later."

"I think we should stay at the hotel tonight, guys. Either call room service or eat at one of the hotel restaurants. I know we're in New York, but I don't think you're in any shape for all this running around, Daniel." He folded his arms in front of him. "Of course, if we hadn't run all over yesterday shopping you might be less tired today."

"Back on the shopping thing, huh Pretty Boy?"

"Morgan, will you _please_ stop calling me that?" Reid sighed.

The three men stepped out of the car at the hotel and walked into the lobby. Daniel sighed. "I don't know what you two would prefer, but personally I think I'll go with Spencer's idea of ordering room service tonight." As they stepped into the elevator he continued, "Maybe we can order a movie on Pay per View or something."

A few minutes later Reid and Morgan sat on the couch in their suite while Daniel was in his bedroom on the phone. Morgan picked up the room service menu and started flipping through it. "It looks like we can get anything from a cheeseburger to a fancy meal like we could have ordered in the restaurant downstairs."

"I think I could go for something simpler tonight." Both men turned as Daniel came out of the bedroom looking very pale. "Daniel, what's wrong?" Reid asked, immediately standing up.

"I just talked to Josh, the neighbor I asked to pick up my mail. I asked him to look through today's mail for me, and he says there is a business sized envelope with no return address on it postmarked from zip code 60611 in the pile."

Morgan sighed. "I'll call Hotch. Maybe he can send someone over to pick the letter up so the team can take a look at it." He flipped over his cell phone and hit the speed dial for Hotch as he walked toward the second bedroom.

Daniel sat down on the couch and rested his head in his hands. "I don't know what I've been thinking the last couple of days. Maybe I thought this was all going to go away or something."

"Unfortunately Daniel, it doesn't usually work that way," Reid said.

"I know, Spencer. I know."

Just then Morgan walked back into the room. "Hotch is sending Prentiss and Rossi over to your neighbor's house to pick up the letter. He needs to officially ask for your permission to open it, Daniel."

"Tell him I said to go ahead."

"Yeah Hotch, he said to tell you go ahead," Morgan said as he walked back toward the bedroom. A few minutes later he was back in the living room sitting on the recliner and propping his feet up. "Hotch is going to let us know what's in the letter."

"I just called Josh back and told him to be expecting David and Emily," Daniel told him.

"Are we keeping Hotch from going home gain?" Reid asked.

Morgan sighed. "Probably."

"Great! Just what Hotch needed," Daniel commented.

"Daniel, it's _not_ your fault," Reid said.

"Right. Whose fault is it then?"

"Your stalker's, man. She's the one at fault here, Daniel. Not you. Try to remember that."

Daniel nodded. "I forgot to let you know I won't be doing Brian Boitano's show any time soon."

"How come?" Morgan asked.

"He's filmed his last episode for this season. He wanted me to do one of next season's episodes; therefore it will be several weeks from now."

"Damn! There goes my free trip to San Francisco!"

"We were just there a few weeks ago, Morgan!"

"We were just in Alaska also. And we saw about as much of San Francisco as we did of Alaska."

"Too bad because Brian is a pretty cool guy. He would have been happy to show you around the city. He did ask me to be in his holiday show."

"When is that?" Reid asked.

"Some time in mid-December." Daniel reached over and picked up the room service menu. "Let's see if we can decide what to order for dinner."

Half an hour later the hotel delivered their meal to the suite and set it up on the dining table. Daniel signed for the meal and added a generous tip for the waiter. "T-Bone steak, here I come!" Morgan said as the three men sat down to eat. "Look at the size of that baked potato! Hm, hm!"

"I hope you're not going to make that much noise while you're eating, Morgan."

"I don't make noise while I'm eating smartass," Morgan said. "My steak looks better than your chicken, Daniel."

"My salad looks better than your salad," Daniel returned.

"My cheeseburger looks better than both of your meals, and so does my salad."

"My potato looks better than your wedge fries, kid."

"This is the most inane conversation I've ever been a part of," Daniel remarked as he cut off a piece of his chicken. Morgan laughed out loud at his words.

An hour later when Hotch called back all three of them had finished their dinner and were back sitting in the living room of the suite. "Anybody have an idea of what they feel like watching?"

"No Playboy Channel, Morgan."

"Now look kid…" Morgan's retort was interrupted by the ringing of his cell phone. "It's Hotch," he said, looking at the Caller I.D. "Yeah, Hotch?" Morgan listened for a minute and then said, "Okay. I'll take care of it. Go home and have a good night, Hotch." Morgan disconnected and looked at the other two. "Hotch is faxing the letter to us here at the hotel. I'd rather as few people as possible saw it; therefore I'm going to go down to the front desk and pick it up instead of having someone bring it to us."

"Did he tell you what it said?" Daniel asked.

Morgan hesitated. "It's another threat, Daniel. Basically she said you can't hide from her forever."

"And she's going to finish the job," Daniel said. He sighed and leaned back against the couch and closed his eyes. He began to rub his temples as Morgan left the room, closing the door behind him.

Reid looked at Daniel. He knew what it was like to feel helpless, and he sympathized with how Daniel was feeling right now. "If I could fix this for you Daniel…"

"Tell me Spencer, what did I _do_?"

"Excuse me?"

Daniel sat up and looked directly at Reid. "_What_ did I ever _do_, Spencer? I don't even _know_ this woman! _Why_ is she fixated on _me_? _Why_ does she want to kill me, for God's sake?"

"Daniel, we've been over this already. I can't supply the answer to 'why' for you. You didn't _do_ anything. Most people who are stalked don't do anything at all to draw a stalker's fixation aside from merely existing. Most stalking victims are just average, every day people who never bothered anyone. They're not famous, they're not celebrities; they're just people who gather unwanted attention from someone. Most celebrities who are stalked didn't do anything to draw the attention either."

Daniel stood up. "I have a damn headache. I can't fucking deal with this right now. I have to make a phone call." He went into his bedroom and slammed the door behind him.

When Morgan walked in a few minutes later he looked around and asked, "Where's Daniel?"

"He's in the room on the phone. He's very upset over the letter. He asked me why all this was happening, what did he do and so on; and then he told me he needed to make a phone call and he went in the bedroom."

Morgan sighed and handed the fax to Reid. _"You think you've gotten away from me, but you haven't. You think you're safe with your protection, but you aren't. You can't hide from me forever, Daniel. I will find you, and I will finish what I started. You'll never be safe from me,"_ he read out loud.

"Lovely," Daniel commented as he came out of the bedroom. He pulled the letter out of Reid's hand and read it over for himself. He crumbled it up into a ball and then walked into the kitchen area and tossed the paper ball into the trash can. "I just called room service back and ordered us three banana splits. I don't really give a hoot right now if I shouldn't be eating it." He plopped down on the couch and propped his feet up on the coffee table.

"Are you okay, Daniel?" Reid asked.

"Fine, I'm just great." He looked from Reid to Morgan. "No really, I'm okay guys. I just talked to my parents. I know the last thing I have planned right now is two weeks from tomorrow. After that I'm going to stay at their house for four days. There's a rink about twenty miles away from them where I can get in some practice without my coach. I would go sooner, but I have too much to do; we have _America's Most Wanted_ next week, and my family is coming to stay at my house in Georgetown for that. Then the three of us come back to New York and then back to Los Angeles again before I go to Delaware to visit my parents. Unless you catch my little friend and her helper in the interim I guess I'll be having company at my parents' house when I go."

"I'll call Hotch tomorrow and ask him how he wants to handle it. I imagine he'll probably send Reid with you."

"I wouldn't mind that," Reid said. "Alex and Caroline like me for whatever reason and I like them." He looked at Morgan. "They may even like you when we stop by on our way back to Quantico Saturday."

"Very funny, Reid," Morgan said as Daniel laughed.

"Morgan you're always razzing me. I have to get one in myself once in a while you know."

Morgan made a face at Reid then decided to ignore him. "Okay then," he said as he sat down in the recliner again. "What shall we watch while we wait for our banana splits to arrive?"

/\

Wednesday morning Daniel woke up before either Reid or Morgan and ordered a room service breakfast for all of them. For a long time he stood looking out the window of their suite at the city down below. Even at this early hour traffic was backing up and people crowded the sidewalks. He closed his eyes for a moment and thought about how simple his life used to be before he was an Olympic medalist and a celebrity. He started thinking of how different his life would be now if he had never sat down in front of a television set, watched a figure skating competition and then decided he wanted to be able to do the same thing the skaters were doing. Then he remembered what Spencer had told him regarding the fact most stalking victims were not celebrities in the first place; which then reminded him he might be in a similar situation if he had never set foot on the ice. At that point Daniel realized he was luckier than a lot of people in his situation would be. He had a tremendous amount of support from family, friends and fans, and that certainly helped to ease his mind.

Daniel looked at his watch. They had two hours until he had to be on the set to film _Live with Regis and Kelly_; and of course later in the day he would be doing _Larry King Live_.When the waiter brought their breakfast he again signed for it, adding a tip and then went to wake Spencer and Derek up.

/\/\/\/\

11


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: **See my profile.

/\/\/\/\

'_**A Force of Nature: Part II'**_

Chapter Fourteen

/\/\/\/\

Derek Morgan stepped on to the escalator at LAX with his carryon bag in his hand. Daniel stepped on right behind him, with Reid directly behind Daniel. "This is ridiculous," Daniel commented.

"It's for your own good," Reid said. "If we keep you in between use, it's more difficult for someone to reach you." Once they reached the bottom of the escalator they headed for baggage claim. They were surrounded on all sides by people streaming in all directions. Both Morgan and Reid looked carefully around them as they walked; however, with so many people around they knew they were unlikely to spot someone until they were very close. As they approached baggage claim Reid suddenly felt a tingly feeling on the back of his neck he could not explain. He looked around him, but couldn't fixate on anything or anyone that might have caused the sensation.

_There he was! She could actually see him in person, and he was very close. He had two other men with him she did not recognize. Who were they? 'Maybe they are the F.B.I. agents he talked about on television,' she thought to herself. She started to follow them from a few yards behind._

Reid could not shake the tingly feeling he had as the three men stood at the baggage claim carousel waiting for their luggage. Morgan had gotten much amusement from watching him and Daniel trying to pack all his new clothes before they left New York. Daniel had set the new duffle bag they had purchased on Reid's bed, and then laid out all his new clothes next to it. He and Reid had then matched up all the seams on his jeans so the legs were perfectly straight, and then rolled each pair carefully into a tight bundle and placed each bundle into the bag. They had followed the same process with Reid's new slacks; followed by his new shirts and then the tee shirts. Daniel had indeed been correct about everything fitting into the bag if they packed it correctly, and Morgan had realized with all the traveling Daniel had to do he was probably an expert on packing as much as possible into as few bags as possible. Daniel had triumphantly placed the carefully folded leather jacket into the duffle last, and then zipped it up and hooked a new luggage tag on the handle and a new lock on the zipper. "Am I good or what?" he had remarked. Morgan had mock applauded their accomplishment and been rewarded by being hit with a pillow Reid had thrown at him.

As he grabbed one of his bags off the carousel Daniel quietly told Morgan he felt like someone was watching him. Not being one to discount intuition Morgan asked, "Can you sense from where?" Daniel shook his head.

"I'm getting the same feeling," Reid added.

"Everyone just keep your eyes open. Let's just be as vigilant as possible," Morgan said.

_She watched them as they loaded the last of their luggage on to a cart and pushed it toward the rental car area. She followed them at a discreet distance not wanting to get too close just yet. She watched Daniel carefully, observing how he moved his head, how his hair was combed, how he reached his right hand up to tuck an errant strand of hair behind his ear… It was all so familiar and she missed that familiarity. Why wouldn't he come back to her? Why didn't he ever_ _answer her letters? She stopped a few yards back when the three men she was following were greeted by a man in a dark suit holding a sign. She watched carefully as the tall black man stood talking to the man holding the sign while the object of her obsession stood next to him looking around. He was almost close enough to touch! Then she noticed the tall, slender man who had gotten off the plane with them was no longer there._

"Should I call for backup, Agent Morgan?" asked the man with the sign, who had introduced himself as Agent Lukas Darley.

"Not yet, Agent Darley. We don't want to cause a panic; besides it's possible we're wrong. Let's give Reid a chance to circle around and see if he notices anything first."

After Reid had walked away from Morgan, Daniel and Darley he carefully circled back around so that he was able to observe them from several yards away. Hopefully he would spot someone else who was doing the same thing, but with different intentions. He walked slowly in an arc carefully observing as he went. After a couple of minutes he spotted a woman with dark red hair who appeared to be watching Daniel. However, Reid was aware Daniel being a celebrity made it more difficult to determine who might be obsessed and who was merely a fan or just recognized him from somewhere.

From his position Morgan could see Reid stop, but he couldn't see why he had stopped or who he might be watching. He saw Reid walk over to and speak briefly with an airport security officer who turned and spoke into the two way radio attached to his shoulder. "Reid sees something," Morgan said.

"Why hasn't he called you if he saw something?" Daniel asked.

"I don't know, but I just saw him talking to a security guard."

_Where weren't they moving? She wasn't unhappy with a chance to look at him as he stood waiting; however she was suspicious regarding the whereabouts of the tall slender man. _

Reid calmly walked to within a few feet of the red haired woman and paused. It she was aware he was standing behind her she showed no indication of it. She was completely absorbed in looking intently at Daniel. Reid took a deep breath and then quickly walked up behind the woman and tapped her on the shoulder. Startled, she turned around to see him standing directly behind her. "Hello ma'am," he said.

She tried to pull away from Reid; however he refused to let go of her shoulder. "Please, let go of me!" she cried.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, I can't do that," Reid said.

"I haven't done anything!"

"Ma'am, I am SSA Spencer Reid of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. I have been observing you for some time following my partner and our charge and I. I need you to come with me, please."

/\

"Her driver's license identifies here as Shelly Langret. Are you sure about this Reid?" Morgan asked as they stood inside the LAX airport security office.

Reid nodded. "Yes Morgan." He looked through a window at the woman sitting in a chair inside the small side room. "Obviously she's not the same woman who attacked Daniel, but she's definitely fixated on him. She could possibly be the second stalker; the one I said was obsessive and thought she had a personal relationship with Daniel."

Morgan's cell phone rang. "What have you got for us, Baby Girl? You're on speakerphone, by the way."

"I did check up on Shelly Langret as you asked, Derek."

"Any history of mental illness or a criminal record?"

"Nothing like that, Sugar. However, I can tell you she recently lost her son. According to police records her twenty-four year old son committed suicide seven months ago. Other than that, she seems to have lead a normal life. Nothing stands out on her credit report or even on her employment record." Morgan took his phone off speaker and stood listening to Garcia talk.

"She could have transferred her feelings for her son on to you, Daniel. It wouldn't be the first time something like that happened," Reid said.

"Maybe I should talk to her?"

"I…don't know if that's a good idea, Daniel."

Daniel walked over to the window and looked through it into the room at Shelly Langret. "I think this woman needs help, Spencer. She can't be getting help if she's so fixated on me that it causes her to follow me around all over the place because her son died."

Morgan closed his phone, concluding the conversation with Garcia. "The police have located her husband and he's on his way over here."

"Has she done anything illegal, Derek?"

Morgan sighed. "If she is your second stalker, and it's possible she is, she did send you the letters. She didn't make any threats in them, but it does establish a pattern that, coupled with the fact she just happened to be at LAX following you around, could lead to stalking charges. And on top of that, if you add in how she reacted when Reid tried to bring her in here, it's fairly obvious this woman has some issues."

"Let me talk to her, Derek."

"Daniel, one thing we _are_ sure of is that she was following you. Just because she hasn't been violent so far doesn't mean she can't be or she won't be."

"So you two come in there with me then." Morgan and Reid looked at each other and Morgan sighed in resignation.

A few minutes later Morgan opened the door and he and Reid stepped through it. "Mrs. Langret, Mr. Meier would like to speak to you. Are you okay with that?" She nodded. Reid looked at the female security officer who had been in the room and informed her they needed her to stay. He then turned around and motioned for Daniel to come in. Morgan took up a position standing by the door as Daniel walked into the room.

"Hi there," Daniel said. "Is it okay if I sit down?" At her nod he pulled out a chair and sat down at the table opposite her. "Why…why have you been following me? Why have you been writing me all these letters?"

"Because you look like him," Mrs. Langret said.

"Who? Who do I look like?"

"My son, you look like my son."

"Your son? You think I look like your son?"

"You do, you look just like him. Like he looked the last time I saw him."

"The last time you saw him? What happened to him?"

"He died," she said calmly. Morgan tensed as she reached her right arm toward Daniel. Daniel flinched involuntarily as she tried to touch his hair. "But when I saw you, I realized he didn't really die."

Daniel looked over at Reid and then back at Mrs. Langret. "Mrs. Langret, I'm not your son."

"You look so much like him. I don't understand why you didn't answer my letters. I don't understand why you won't come back to me."

"Mrs. Langret, I'm _not_ your son."

"Please…"

"Mrs. Langret… I think we're going to stop this for now, okay? Your husband is on the way here," Reid told her.

As Daniel stood up she grabbed on to his hand. "Please let go of my hand," he said. He calmly removed his hand from her grip and left the room followed by Reid and Morgan. Once they were outside he added, "That was completely freaky."

"That woman clearly has not dealt with her son's death," Morgan said.

"Not properly anyway," Reid added.

"Derek, I don't understand something. She told me her son was dead. Obviously that means she realizes he's dead. But then she acted like really she believed I was him. Both can't be true. I don't understand! How can she believe both at once?"

Morgan shook his head. "I can't explain it, Daniel." He sighed. "Yes, in her head she knows her son is dead. However, seeing you allows her the opportunity to deny it. She can look at you and pretend her son is still alive."

"I'm getting a headache. Spencer, you want to come with me to get a Coke or something?"

"Sure."

"I'll wait here for Mr. Langret," Morgan said. "Bring me back something to drink."

Daniel sighed as he and Reid left the security area and looked for someplace to grab a drink. "There's a fast food place over there," he pointed. "You know, I think I need to call the George Lopez show and cancel for tonight. I hate to cancel on anyone, especially with only a few hours' notice, but I don't see how I can get there to do the show."

Twenty minutes later Reid and Daniel were back at the security office handing Morgan a fountain drink and a granola bar. "We realized after we left it was lunch time so we grabbed those to hold us for a while," Reid said.

"I also called the George Lopez people and explained what happened. I told them I was going to have to cancel for tonight and apologized for the short notice. They're going to reschedule me for a week from Monday, which is the day before my appearance on Bonnie Hunt's show. That means I'll have to come back out here a day earlier than I expected." He looked around.  
"Where did Agent Darley go, by the way?"

"He went back to the local Field Office. He loaded our luggage, left us the keys to the car he brought and someone picked him up," Morgan said.

Daniel rubbed his temples with the heels of his hands. "I need to sit down," he said.

"There's another room over here," Reid said. "Why don't we go sit down in there?"

A few minutes after they left an airport security officer brought a tall, dark haired man who looked to be in his late forties to Morgan. "This is Raymond Langret, Agent Morgan."

"Thank you, officer."

Langret sighed. "They told me my wife was here?"

"She's right there in that room," Morgan said pointing to the window.

Langret looked through the window and saw his wife. He shook his head. "What exactly happened here, Agent Morgan? All I was told is that she was stopped at LAX by an F.B.I. agent."

"Mr. Langret, are you aware of your wife's obsession with Daniel Meier?"

Langret stared at him. "Shelly thinks he looks like our late son. This has something to do with that?"

"Yes. The reason I'm here is because I'm one of the agents providing Daniel Meier with security during some of the appearances he is making. She somehow knew he was coming here and basically followed us around the airport until my partner stopped her."

"He's here? Do you think maybe I could speak to him?"

"I'd have to ask him. Hold on just a moment, please." Morgan poked his head into the room where Reid and Daniel were sitting. "Daniel, Mr. Langret is here. He's asking if he can speak to you. I told him I'd have to ask you first."

Daniel sighed and nodded. "Okay."

Morgan opened the door and Raymond Langret walked into the room. He looked at Daniel and did a double take, swaying slightly on his feet. "Damn!"

Reid stood up quickly and pulled out a chair for him. "Please Sir, have a seat. I'm SSA Spencer Reid, and this is Daniel Meier."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Meier! It's just that…" He looked down at the table for a moment. "It's just that I've seen you on television off and on for years, and even when my son was alive I noticed the resemblance. Seeing you in person…the resemblance is even stronger than I realized. I apologize for my reaction, but it was a shock seeing you."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Langret."

"Sorry? You don't have any reason to be sorry for reminding me of my son. It's not your fault, for God's sake!" He looked around at Reid and Morgan, who were both also sitting down, and then back at Daniel. "When our son committed suicide seven months ago, of course it was a shock. Neither one of us dealt with it very well at first. We went to bereavement groups we were hoping would help, but nothing seemed to make a difference to my wife. The group leader from one of the support groups recommended we try private counseling, but Shelly refused to go. Nothing I or my daughter or anyone else said worked to change her mind. So then my daughter and I were told we should go without her; that we had to do something to keep ourselves healthy even if Shelly refused. Therefore we both started going, and we've managed to make some progress. Shelly goes from realizing our son is dead to believing he's still alive. She even told someone her son was on the Olympic Team during the Vancouver Games. I…don't know what else to do. I even made some inquiries regarding what it took to have someone involuntarily committed."

"She could be charged with stalking, but under the circumstances maybe there is something else we could do to help," Reid said.

"What? I'm at the end of my rope."

"What if we tell her she can be charged with stalking; however Daniel won't file charges against her if she goes to counseling or gets some kind of help?"

Langret looked at Daniel. "You would be willing to do that?"

"Yes, I would."

"Okay, we can try that. Yes, maybe it will work."

"I'll bring you in there to talk to her," Morgan said.

As Morgan and Langret stood up Daniel said, "Mr. Langret, do you have a picture of your son?" Langret reached for his wallet and pulled out a small photo which he handed to Daniel. "Damn," Daniel said. "He looks more like my brother than my brother does." He handed the picture back to Langret. "Good luck, Sir. I'm very sorry about the loss of your son."

"Thank you. You're a very compassionate young man."

/\

Morgan and Daniel were finally on their way to their hotel an hour later. Daniel sat in the back seat of the vehicle with his head laid back and his eyes closed. "Do you think she'll be okay?"

Reid shook his head as he drove. "I don't know, Daniel. She did agree to get some help, and her husband took her directly to the counseling center Garcia looked up; but she has to cooperate and _want_ to do it."

Morgan sighed. "I hope she sticks with it, but considering the fact she showed up at the airport and it's now been confirmed she wrote the letters; if she doesn't do it her husband may have enough to force her to go, even if it's painful for him to do that."

"I hope it doesn't come to that," Reid said. "He seems like a good man."

"I just really, really hope this is the end of this one for all of us," Daniel remarked. "I still have my real stalker, though. The dangerous one, I mean."

"Unfortunately there hasn't been much progress on tracking her down as yet," Reid said.

"Hey, I just thought of something! Since you cancelled on The George Lopez Show, who is paying for this hotel tonight?" Morgan joked, in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"You are Morgan," Reid returned.

"I don't think so, kid."

"I forgot my credit cards," Daniel said with a slight smile.

"The hell you did! I saw you put your wallet in your carryon back in New York!"

"Okay, how about I pay for dinner, you pay for the hotel?"

"Get out of here, Daniel! That's not a fair tradeoff!"

"Says who?"

"Says me, smart aleck! I'm telling the both of you…" The banter and the joking continued as the three men headed for their hotel. 

/\/\/\/\

11


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: **See my profile.

/\/\/\/\

'_**A Force of Nature: Part II'**_

Chapter Fifteen

/\/\/\/\

"I don't get it," Morgan said. "Why did he give Craig Ferguson such a hard time? I mean, personally I think Ferguson is funny as hell."

"What Daniel told me one night when we were just talking was that Craig Ferguson made a couple of cracks about male figure skaters and he didn't find it particularly amusing. He said he usually like Ferguson himself, but when he was invited to do the show…"

Morgan laughed. "He saw a chance to get back at him a little! I get it now!"

Just that moment Daniel came walking out of the rest room and said, "Okay guys, I'm ready to go." He looked from Morgan to Reid. "What?"

"You got a little smart with Craig there, didn't you?" Morgan asked.

"He deserved it! Besides he told me after he hoped there were no hard feelings and it was just a joke. I told him it was an unfunny joke beneath his usual standards."

"You've been waiting to get him back, haven't you?"

"You better believe it." Daniel walked past Morgan and toward the hallway before turning around. "Are you coming with me or do I have to go back to the hotel by myself?"

"Jay Leno went well," Reid commented as the three men headed down the hall to leave the studio. "Actually, Craig Ferguson was okay, especially when you take the audience reaction into consideration."

"I realize when you are a public figure you're going to get poked and teased and have comments made about you. Some people think you're automatically fair game just because you achieve a little success. However, sometimes those comments cross the line and tonight I had a chance to get some back."

"Good for you," Morgan said.

Twenty minutes later the three men were leaving the studio parking lot and heading for their hotel. "What time is our flight tomorrow?" Reid asked.

"Seven a.m."

"Seven a.m.?" Morgan groaned as he eased the vehicle into traffic. "Whose idea was that?"

"Mine. I planned it because of the three hour time difference between here and the east coast. It will be 3:30 p.m. local time before we even get off the plane. We're supposed to drive to my parents' house after that and then back to D.C."

"It will be after seven p.m. before we even get to Delaware," Reid remarked. "We're talking about a hundred and fifty mile drive to your parents' house and another hundred or so to Georgetown."

"My parents probably wouldn't mind having all three of us spend the night," Daniel said.

"We could stay in New York City tomorrow night and drive back Sunday," Morgan said.

Daniel shook his head. "I think I'd rather try to make it to my parents' house. I'm going to call them right now." He looked at Morgan. "Is that okay? Or do you really think we should stay in New York?"

Morgan sighed. "I guess if it's okay with your parents driving to their house would be fine."

"It's just…If I can't be in my own bed I'd rather be in my childhood home than a hotel."

Morgan looked at Reid while Daniel called his parents. "I don't even know these people, Reid. I know it's Daniel's parents we're talking about; but I just feel strange going over there and expecting to spend the night."

"Once you meet them you'll be fine with it," Reid said. "They're very kind, welcoming people."

"What if they don't like me?"

Reid laughed. "Geez, Morgan! Now you sound like me! What happened to super confident SSA Derek Morgan who is not afraid of anything?"

Morgan looked at Reid briefly before returning his eyes to the road. "No need to be insulting, kid."

Reid made a face. "Oh, so now suggesting you sound like me is an insult?" He folded his arms in front of him and pretended to be hurt.

"Okay," Daniel said. "My parents will be happy to have all three of us." He laughed. "Like I told Spencer, my mother doesn't get to cook big meals very often anymore, so she's making a shopping list before she goes to bed so she can buy groceries to feed as she puts it, 'three hungry young men' tomorrow night and the next morning. They're going to hold dinner until we get there."

Morgan laughed. "I have a feeling your parents and my mom would get along just fine."

"I've met your mom, and I think they would all get along great," Reid said.

"Maybe we can get them together some time," Morgan commented.

/\

Daniel maneuvered his car down the street Saturday evening and pulled up in front of his parents' house. Before the three men could even get out of the car the front door opened and Caroline came running across the yard toward them. Alex followed his wife at a more normal pace. "Hi mom," Daniel said, hugging his mother.

"Good to see you Daniel," Alex said, joining in the hug. "You looked great on Jay Leno and Craig Ferguson last night."

"Thank you, dad."

Reid looked at Daniel with his parents and smiled. "Good evening," he said. The next thing he knew Caroline was giving him a hug as well.

"Good to see you again Spencer," Alex said.

"Mom and dad, I'd like you to meet SSA Derek Morgan." He motioned for Morgan to come over to where his parents stood. "Derek, this is my mother Caroline Meier, and my father Alex Meier."

"Nice to finally meet both of you," Morgan said. "I've certainly heard a lot about you from Daniel and Reid."

"We've heard a lot about you as well," Alex answered.

"I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing," Morgan laughed.

"Well," Caroline said, crossing her arms defiantly in front of her and looking at Morgan. "Daniel says you tease Spencer a lot. What's up with that?"

"I…well, uh…" He looked at Reid and Daniel, both of whom were looking back at him as if they were eagerly awaiting his answer. "You see, I don't have a brother. Therefore Spencer is like my little brother, and I treat him like I would my little brother, and that includes teasing." He stopped speaking and looked at Alex and Caroline, neither of whom looked as if they were buying it. "Reid _is_ like my brother," he insisted.

"Okay we get that part," Alex said.

"Okay so… Maybe it is fun sometimes."

"Fun for whom?" Reid asked. "Certainly not me!"

"I think we've picked on Derek enough for now. Why don't we go inside?" Caroline suggested.

The group walked around to the back of Daniel's car to grab their bags. "Geez, Daniel! What the hell is all of this?" Alex asked.

"I didn't know what clothes I might need!" Daniel protested.

Alex shook his head. "So you decided to bring everything you owned just in case?"

"Which bags are yours, Spencer? I'd like to see the new clothes you bought in New York."

Reid pulled the duffle out and set it down on the curb. "Most of them are in that bag. I'm wearing one of the pairs of jeans I bought. My other bags plus Morgan's are buried under all Daniel's mess somewhere."

Morgan laughed as Daniel made a face. "I guess we've switched over to picking on Daniel now," he grumbled.

"It's as much fun to us as teasing Spencer is to Derek," Alex commented.

"I doubt that," Reid said. He looked over at Morgan. "Derek already! That was quick," he commented as they all carried bags into the house.

Alex lead Morgan to the guest room and Reid to Mark's old room. "Set your things down in the room and freshen up if you like. The bathroom is right there. Caroline has dinner all set to go as soon as everyone is ready."

"Thank you Alex," Reid said.

"They are very nice people," Morgan remarked as Alex walked away.

Reid nodded. "I love watching them together almost as much as I like watching you with your mom, or Jack with Hotch." He looked wistful. "That and being Henry's godfather almost makes up for what I missed."

Morgan was silent for a moment as he reached for his overnight bag. "You okay, kid?"

"I'm fine, Morgan. Thanks for asking."

A few minutes later all five of them were sitting down at the dining room table. "Homemade lasagna! This looks delicious, Mrs. Meier," Morgan commented.

"Thank you, Derek. And my name is Caroline."

Morgan smiled. "Caroline. Okay. The food looks delicious."

"I can't take credit for all of it. Alex made the garlic bread, the salad and the dessert."

"Yes. I've come up with very creative ways to cook within my dietary restrictions that make food palatable to other people."

"Come on, dad! It's not that bad. It's mainly watching your salt intake and your sugar and cholesterol."

"Oh, is that all?" Alex complained.

"It's better than we thought it would be," Caroline commented. "The doctors have relaxed his dietary restrictions quite a bit since his last appointment. He's limited on eggs, for example. The doctors recommended he use an egg substitute; however nothing is completely banned."

Daniel groaned as during dinner his parents related more of his childhood exploits to Reid and Morgan. He hoped after dinner they did not decide to show Derek the pictures and home videos they had previously decided to show Spencer. His dad wasn't big on embarrassing him with the pictures and video; however his mom was a different story. She didn't see it as embarrassing her son; she saw it as showcasing her pride in her children.

Once they had finished with their dinner and were starting on the key lime pie Alex had made the conversation turned to Daniel's time with his parents the week after next. "You're going to be here four whole days," Alex said. "How are you going to handle the security issue?"

"Actually it's only going to be three days, dad. I had forgotten that Saturday is the broadcast of the _America's Most Wanted _episode we're featured in. Spencer is going to be in the studio with John Walsh, and I'm going to help man the hotline."

"So you'll be here what days then?" Caroline asked.

"Wednesday, Thursday and Friday night. Spencer and I will drive back to D.C. Saturday morning."

"So you will be here the entire time, Spencer?" Alex asked.

"That's what Hotch decided would make the most sense and be the most comfortable for you and Daniel," Morgan said.

"That's certainly okay with us," Caroline said. She turned to Spencer. "If you're sick of our family yet, you might be soon."

Reid laughed. "I don't think so, Caroline."

"When are you coming into Quantico for the filming?"

"Mark can't get here until late tomorrow evening. He's staying in Arizona over the summer for a job. We won't be coming into Quantico until Tuesday morning and then we'll be staying at Daniel's house with him."

Morgan laughed. "That bumps you to the couch by default kid," he told Reid.

"Guess so," Reid answered.

Daniel sighed. "I miss Mark. I can't see any way other than this we'll get to spend much time together this summer! He has this new job and he was talking about taking a summer course."

"Maybe you could take a couple days and go to Arizona then?"

"If I can I will." Daniel made a face. "I wonder if that crazy chick is still hanging around."

"Crazy chick?" Morgan asked.

Alex laughed. "When Daniel visited Mark in Tempe last year there was this girl who was a friend of Mark's roommate who kept hitting on him."

"Oh yeah?" Morgan grinned.

"It was really annoying, and not at all funny, Derek!" Daniel scowled at Morgan when he laughed.

"I'm going to make Hotch some brownies before you leave tomorrow. You can take them to him. I think that man could use something to reduce the level of stress he tries to carry around with him."

"You have that right Caroline," Morgan said.

Once they had finished dessert Morgan attempted to help clean up, however Caroline refused to allow him to do anything. She ordered Daniel to put things away and to load the dishwasher and scrub the lasagna pan. She took Morgan into the living room. Morgan could not resist a chuckle when she told Reid he should help Daniel clean up. "Yes, help Daniel!" Daniel commented as Reid walked into the kitchen with him. He looked at Morgan and his parents as he held a dirty plate in each hand. "Oh no," he groaned. "She's getting out the home videos! Please dad, stop her before she embarrasses me again!"

"Mom!" Daniel called out to Caroline. "Not the videos again!"

"You be quiet, Daniel!" Caroline said.

Daniel sighed. "Derek will never let me live this down."

"Probably not," Reid said.

"Thanks Spencer!" He looked out into the living room again. "Mom! Come on, not that one!" He sighed and turned back to the dishes. "Before this case is over the entire Federal Bureau of Investigation will have seen those videos!"

"I think you're exaggerating, Daniel."

"Not by much. After we're done with this she'll want you to show her your new clothes." He heard laughter coming from the living room and took a look around the door and into the living room. "Mom, come on! Must you show that one? I could barely stand up on skates then without falling. That's not fair!" He once again turned back toward the dishes and tossed a dish cloth on the counter while Reid laughed.

/\/\/\/\

9


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: **See my profile.

/\/\/\/\

'_**A Force of Nature: Part II'**_

Chapter Sixteen

/\/\/\/\

"It was nice meeting you, Derek," Alex said as he shook hands with Morgan early Sunday afternoon. They were standing on the driveway next to Daniel's car.

"I was happy to finally meet you Alex. Daniel speaks very highly of his family." He turned to Caroline. "I certainly enjoyed meeting you Caroline, and would like to thank you for your hospitality."

"I enjoyed finally meeting the friend who teases Spencer so much," Caroline said.

Derek laughed. "You're not going to let me forget that, are you?"

"Not until you stop doing it, Derek."

"You might as well ask him to stop breathing, Caroline. That would be easier for him to do than to stop giving me a hard time."

"I keep telling you kid, it's all done out of love."

"Sure…right, Morgan!" Reid looked around. "Where is Daniel, by the way?"

"He's inside the house wrapping up the brownies and cookies Caroline made," Alex told him.

Daniel walked out of the house carrying four small boxes. He handed one to Morgan and one to Reid. "These other two boxes are for me and Hotch," Daniel explained. He looked at his mother. "Mom, you know I love the fact you want to make all this stuff for me…"

"A few cookies and brownies won't hurt you," Caroline said. "Frankly it wouldn't hurt you at all to put on at least ten pounds."

Daniel sighed. "Mom, I'm fine. Why do we always have this same conversation? You know the extra weight affects my jumps."

"Son, you yourself said you looked skinny in Vancouver," Alex said.

"Dad, I was nervous in Vancouver. I was concerned it was my last chance, and it affected my appetite."

"Vancouver was months ago, Daniel."

Daniel sighed again. "I _know_ dad! I've gained weight since then."

"Okay, let's get this show on the road guys," Morgan said, as he climbed into the back seat of Daniel's car.

Both Alex and Caroline hugged Daniel tightly. "I'm sorry sweetheart," Caroline said. "We just worry about you!"

"I know mom, and I appreciate it."

Reid hugged Alex and Caroline before getting into the passenger side of the front seat. He watched as Daniel hugged his parents again before getting in behind the wheel of the car. He waved at his parents as he started the car and pulled away from the curb. "Are you okay, Daniel?" Reid asked.

"Yes."

"They're just worried about you Daniel. Maybe they're expressing it by nagging you a little, but I know it's all done out of love and concern."

"I know Spencer."

"Well," Morgan began. "I wonder what your parents packed in this lunch they gave us." He pulled the lid off the small cooler Alex had given him. "Let's see… We have some baby carrots here, applies, bottles of water and six sandwiches." He looked up. "Boy, she wasn't kidding, was she?"

"She never kids when it comes to trying to feed me," Daniel remarked.

Morgan laughed. "We're only going to be on the road for about three hours."

"Three hours of me listening to the two of you act goofy," Reid said. "Yippee!"

"I'm not in the mood for One Hundred Bottles of Beer today," Daniel said.

"Good, because I swear this time I would be getting out and walking if I had to."

"You have no sense of humor kid," Morgan said.

"Having a sense of humor does not make stupidity funny."

Morgan shook his head. "As soon as I figure out what that means I'll comment on it."

"It means he doesn't find acting stupid to be amusing," Daniel said.

"Define acting stupid."

"Look in the mirror," Reid commented.

Daniel started laughing as Morgan shook his head. "Are you saying I'm stupid, kid?"

"No, I'm saying sometimes you _act_ stupid."

"Ha, ha! Very funny!"

/\

Daniel pulled his car up to the curb in front of his house and parked. "Let me move my car out of your driveway so you can get your car into the garage," Morgan said. Reid and Daniel watched as Morgan backed his car down the driveway and parked at the curb. Daniel then pulled his car into the driveway, opened the garage door with his remote and then pulled into the garage. "Okay," Morgan said. "Let's get the car unloaded."

A few minutes later, as the three men were carrying the last of Daniel and Reid's luggage into the house Reid said, "There's a note on the table with your mail."

Daniel set down the bags he was carrying and picked up the note. "It's from Josh. He's just reminding me he'll be off to Disney World on Tuesday and won't be able to pick up my mail when I leave town again on Thursday." Daniel chuckled. "He said he was a little concerned when the F.B.I. showed up to pick up that letter. He wants to make sure everything is okay. I better give him a call." Daniel flipped open his cell phone and walked away to make the call.

"Are you going to be okay tonight?" Morgan asked.

"Of course," Reid answered.

"Reid, we've both been on duty for a week straight now. I'm going to at least have the rest of the evening off. You'll still be on duty tonight."

"It's okay Morgan."

"Are you sure? Because Hotch can probably have someone else come over tonight."

"Come on, Morgan. For one thing Daniel is already comfortable with us being here. For another thing, this is not the most difficult assignment either of us has ever had. For me, even though I still have to be vigilant, it's almost like just hanging around with a friend."

Morgan nodded. "You have a point kid."

"A point about what?" Daniel asked.

"What a pain it is hanging around you 24/7," Morgan said with a grin.

"Ha, ha Derek! Very funny!"

"Daniel, that's _not_ what I said."

"I know Spencer."

Morgan laughed. "I'm going to head out in a few, unless you two need anything. We've been gone a week, so there can't be much to eat in the house. What are you going to do for dinner?"

"Not sure yet. It's only 3pm and I personally and still full from the lunch Caroline and Alex packed for us."

"And I still have my box of brownies and cookies. Why don't you give me Hotch's box? I'll drive by his house on my way home and give it to him. I can kill two birds with one stone by letting him know we're back." After Daniel handed him the second box Morgan left the house, climbed into his car and drove off.

"Well, let's see… Would you like some help unpacking Daniel?"

"Ugh! Maybe later. I'm going to look through all my mail from the last week first."

Daniel grabbed a letter opener from his desk and sat down at the kitchen table in front of the stack of mail his neighbor had left for him and began to sort through it. Reid flipped his cell phone open and dialed Garcia's home number. He was under orders to let her know as soon as they were back in town, and he was not about to cross his friend. "Hey Garcia, we're back… Just a few minutes ago… Garcia wait, Daniel is tired. I think he needs to get some rest tonight… Never mind seeing the clothes I bought! That can wait… Okay, hold on, I'll ask him." Putting his hand over the phone Reid turned to Daniel. "Garcia wants to know if it's okay for her to come over. She said she'd bring dinner."

"Sure, that's fine with me. I could use the sight of her happy, smiling self around here."

"It's okay, Garcia… Okay, I'll tell him. Thanks." Reid closed his phone. "She'll be here around six, and she'll bring us some dinner."

"It will be good to see her." He looked at Reid. "How come you aren't sick of me yet, Spencer?"

Reid shrugged. "I don't know! High tolerance built up from years of being annoyed by Morgan, maybe?"

"Ha, ha Spencer! Very funny!" He shook his head and went back to looking at his mail. Suddenly he stopped sorting and focused on one piece of mail. He held the business sized envelope in his hand and stared at it.

Spencer looked at him. "What is it Daniel?"

Daniel looked at him. "It's from Oxford, the Office of Admissions."

"Open it, Daniel."

Daniel stared at the envelope for a minute. "No," he said.

"Daniel, you're being silly."

"What if they said 'no'?"

"What if they said 'yes'?"

Daniel sighed. He picked up the letter opener and slit the envelope open. He pulled the letter out and unfolded it. He read it and then handed it to Reid. "I was only half serious when I was making plans for how I could skate and still go to Oxford. I'm not sure I really believed they would take me."

Reid quickly scanned the letter. It indicated Daniel would be admitted beginning with the Spring Session in 2011, and that further details would be forthcoming as to what he needed to provide and do before his studies began. "Suppose Columbia and the University of Maryland takes you as well? Do you know which school you would choose?"

Daniel shook his head. "I don't know. Columbia is in New York City, which I like; and the University of Maryland is close by and I wouldn't even have to move or change rinks or change much of anything actually. Oxford would be the most expensive since it's over in England, but it would be really great to be able to go there." He looked at Reid. 'Spencer, _I was accepted into Oxford University!_ I can't believe it!"

"Daniel, I don't know why you're so surprised!"

"I have to call my parents and my brother…" He reached for his phone and dialed his parents' number while continuing to look through his mail.

As Daniel excitedly gave his parents the news, Reid stood up and walked away to give him some privacy. He looked back at Daniel and smiled. Reid had been accepted into a university at such an early age he didn't relate to it the same way an older student would. Daniel had attended a year of college after high school; however he had put it aside to continue chasing his Olympic dream. Reid couldn't help but wonder how many other people out there did the same thing but never got around to finishing what they started like Daniel was planning to do. He also knew even though Daniel was planning to retire from competitive skating he still was going to have to make some difficult decisions regarding his career versus his education. 'He has the family support to back him up whatever he does,' Reid thought. Reid had not had that the same way Daniel did; however he had still managed to make the correct decisions for the most part. Once Daniel finished speaking with his parents he called his brother in Arizona to give him the news. By the time he was finished with both conversations he had been on the telephone for more than forty-five minutes.

"What did your parents say?"

"My mother is already talking about how far away I'll be, and my father said she should wait to stress out until I make my decision; and my brother said I'd only be a few miles away from Ileana."

"Who?"

Daniel sighed. "I haven't told you that story yet, have I Spencer?"

"No, you haven't mentioned anyone named Ileana."

"Haven't I?"

"No, I just said you hadn't mentioned anyone named Ileana."

Daniel was silent for a moment. "It's a long story, Spencer. One I'm not sure I want to tell right now."

"It ended badly?"

"I don't think 'ended badly' is the way I would describe it."

"What way would you describe it then?"

Daniel looked at him. "Did you change your name to Penelope Garcia, Spencer?"

"I'm not trying to be nosy, Daniel. I'm just curious about someone your brother thought to mention to you like that. She must have been important to you; yet with all the talking and soul searching the two of us have done over the past few weeks, this is the first time I've even heard her name."

"She was important to me Spencer."

"Are you going to tell me about her?"

"Maybe someday."

Reid looked at Daniel for a moment as he opened a couple more pieces of mail and read over the contents. Daniel stood up, walked into his bedroom and returned with a paper shredder which is plugged in to the wall next to the table. He dropped a few pieces of mail into the shredder and then moved on to another envelope. "Daniel…"

"Not right now Spencer."

"Daniel, you were practically floating on air a few minutes ago, now you're back to acting depressed. I'm just curious as to why."

"Spencer, my brother just threw a bucket of cold water on me. He didn't mean to, but he did." Daniel sighed as he put an envelope aside in a separate pile. "American Express bill," he said. He picked up two more envelopes. "VISA and MasterCard. Must be my lucky day. Would you mind handing me my laptop, Spencer? I like to pay them online as soon as I receive the bills." Reid pulled Daniel's laptop out of his carryon bag and handed it to him. As Daniel powered his laptop on he said, "I'll tell you later Spencer. I just don't want to talk about her right now."

"Okay, I can respect that."

/\

"Reid, you have pizza sauce in your hair," Garcia laughed.

Reid sighed. "I'm not surprised after you flipped the spoon and splashed sauce all over the place while we were trying to spread it on the pizza crust."

"I didn't do it on purpose!" Garcia protested.

"Sure," Daniel said. "Just like you didn't get it on my face on purpose."

"Well you got it on my dress, Daniel. I had to splash some on your face."

"I got it on your dress because you bumped my hand when I was trying to spoon it out of the jar!"

Reid started laughing. "I guess if you two were more mature this making our own pizza idea would have made more sense."

"Us two? As someone with pizza sauce in their hair you have no room to talk my Junior G-Man," Garcia said.

"Garcia, you got the pizza sauce in my hair, not me!"

"Oh, just be quiet!" Garcia said, taking a bite out of a slice of pizza.

"Penelope, you really can't stay past dinner?" Daniel asked.

"No sugar, I wish I could. I have plans with Kevin at eight o'clock. I missed you a lot, but I really can't change my plans tonight." She looked down at herself. "Even though I'm going to have to change my dress before I meet Kevin." She patted Reid's cheek. "If I had had more time to spend here tonight you could have given me a fashion show instead of just showing me all your new clothes all nice and folded up. I really want to see how those new jeans look on your cute little butt." Reid blushed and muttered something unintelligible.

Daniel laughed at Reid's discomfort. "Well, I know I'll see you Tuesday at the BAU of course. I can't wait to introduce my parents and brother to you."

"That's so sweet Daniel."

Half an hour later the trio had finished their homemade pizza and cleaned up the dishes. "See Penelope, I told you the pizza sauce stain would come out," Daniel told Garcia. "Now your dress is nice and clean and you won't have to run home to change."

"Thank you honey." Garcia looked up at the clock on Daniel's wall. "Oh goodness! I really need to get going here!" Garcia grabbed her purse and hugged Daniel who hugged her back and kissed her on the cheek. Garcia then hugged Reid, who also hugged her back. "I can't believe I'm hugging two good looking young men and then running off to see a third man. I wonder how many other ladies can say they're doing the same thing."

Daniel laughed as he and Reid escorted Garcia to her car and waited for her to fasten her seatbelt. "It was great to see your happy, smiling face Penelope; even if it was for less than two hours. I'll see you on Tuesday."

"Bye sugar!" Garcia called as she pulled away from the curb and drove off down the street.

"Okay," Daniel groaned as he and Reid headed back into the house. "Help me unpack all my stuff so I can do laundry, Spencer."

"Oh, sounds like a fun night tonight," Reid joked.

/\/\/\/\

10


	17. Chapter 17All About Ileana

**Disclaimer: **See my profile.

/\/\/\/\

'_**A Force of Nature: Part II'**_

Chapter Seventeen:

_All About Ileana_

/\/\/\/\

"What time are your parents and brother arriving on Tuesday?" Spencer asked Daniel as they folded the last load of the laundry accumulated from the trip to New York and Los Angeles.

"They're going to be here fairly early, so I think we should be able to get to the BAU by noon."

"I told Hotch I might as well stay and come in with you Tuesday instead of having Morgan and Prentiss come out that morning and me leave. It makes more sense that way."

"You're right, that does make more sense. Don't the _America's Most Wanted_ people want you there early Tuesday though?"

"They're using actors for the reenactment, so until I'm in the studio for the broadcast I'm guessing it doesn't matter all that much whether I'm at the BAU when they're filming or not. I'm going to be a technical adviser of sorts when they film out at the gas station."

Daniel made a face. "Hotch won't let me go out there. He said it isn't safe."

Spencer laughed. "He's just being cautious, Daniel. You do still have a stalker out there." He looked at Daniel. "If your brother is coming in late tonight, why didn't you either stay at your parents' one more night or have your family come in tomorrow instead of Tuesday?"

"Two reasons, they're not coming in tomorrow because my mom has to work; and I didn't stay one more night because I have to go to the rink tomorrow. I've been off the ice for a week now, Spencer. I need to get some ice time in tomorrow while I can."

Reid nodded in understanding. "Wasn't this a fun evening?" he joked. "After Garcia left we spent several hours doing laundry and it's now a little after midnight. Wow, we lead an exciting life, don't we?"

"We watched a DVD in between loads," Daniel teased. Both men laughed out loud as they put away the last of the laundry.

Daniel plopped down on the couch and announced, "I'm not ready to go to bed yet."

"If you're going to the rink in the morning, don't you want to get some sleep?"

"I'll be okay. I'll go to bed in a little bit."

Reid sat down on the opposite end of the couch. "So what do you want to do then? Watch another DVD?"

"Spencer, you don't have to stay up just because I am. You can go to bed if you want."

"No, that's okay. I'm not tired."

"I don't want to keep you awake…"

"Okay, out with it Daniel," Reid said suddenly.

"What do you mean? Out with what Spencer?"

"Come on, Daniel. I know you're trying to say something to me, but you haven't quite figured out how to say it yet; so just out with it."

"Damn profiler," Daniel grumbled under his breath. "I was, uh, well… I guess I wanted to talk about Ileana after all."

"I'm listening Daniel."

Daniel sighed and didn't say anything for a few minutes. "Ileana was my first Spencer."

"Your first?" Spencer looked at Daniel in confusion for a few moments with Daniel looking right back at him before realization dawned. "Oh! She was your _first_! Okay, I get it! Sorry, didn't mean to be so slow on the uptake. Uh, go ahead Daniel."

"I originally met her when I was in Torino in 2006 for my first Olympics. I was twenty-one years old, I had just won my third National title, and I went to Italy floating on air. While I was waiting to get my athlete's credentials I met and started talking to this beautiful girl with a British accent. It turns out her name was Ileana Landon and she was a British snowboarder. She was also a model and a darling of the European press, so I was sure she wouldn't even give me the time of day. But as she was leaving the room, right in front of all this media she writes her cell phone number _on my hand_ and tells me to call her later. I was flabbergasted! I stared at her number on my hand for what seemed like forever before I noticed the officials at the credentials table were talking to me. I felt like a complete idiot, but at least I had this beautiful girl's phone number, right?"

"Right," Reid said, trying to hide a smile.

"I remember going to my room in the Olympic Village and sitting on my bed trying to decide if she really me to wanted to call her, or if she only had given me her number as some kind of publicity stunt. After all, I _was_ the U.S. Men's Figure Skating Champion, so I did garner a certain amount of my own press, though maybe not as much as she did."

"Did you call her that first day or not?"

"I didn't have to, she got my number from a British skater we both knew and called _me_. We talked I don't know how many times during the time I was there. I had been expected to win a medal, but I didn't, and she talked to me about that and helped me to deal with my disappointment. I couldn't believe she was paying so much attention to me, even though my friends didn't seem that surprised. My family was there also, and they thought she was terrific. The night before she was supposed to leave she invited me to come to her room to say goodbye and we…well, uh…we sort of…"

"You don't have to go into detail Daniel," Reid said, noticing a rare blush on Daniel's face.

"Good," Daniel said, as he twisted a lock of hair around his finger. "I don't like talking about the intimate details even to my close friends. Anyway, she left the next day and my family and I left two days after that. Over the next few months we kept in touch via email, text message, a few phone calls… It was my first real relationship and it felt great. It was fun; she seemed to like me as much as I liked her. I competed at Trophee Bombard in France a few months later and she came to Paris to watch and we spent some time together. It was hard to leave and be thousands of miles apart afterward but we managed to make it work, for a while at least. In 2007 when I competed in the NHK Trophy in Nagano, Japan she happened to be in Tokyo so she came to see me there, and we were able to spend a little time together." He sighed. "Even though we talked on the phone, did email, and sent texts, that was the only time we physically saw each other all year."

"It's hard living so far apart. It just didn't work out for you to see each other at the time," Reid said.

"Yeah Spencer, that's what I thought back then."

"What do you mean?"

"I realize how far apart we lived, but there were a couple times I found out we were within a couple hundred miles of each other, and in one case in the same city and she didn't let me know. If I had known then what I found out a few months later…" Daniel mentally shook himself before continuing. "Anyway I started preparing for the 2007-2008 season, and I wanted my U.S. title back I had lost in 2007. I almost got it back in 2008, but I came in second again. I went to the World Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden and _I won_! That was my only world title aside from the World Junior Championship I won back in 2001. I was the only U.S. medalist at worlds that year. Tanith and Ben, who were the 2006 Olympic silver medalists, had to sit out that year because of injuries. I was as high as a kite, Spencer; for all the right reasons!"

"So what happened?"

"Ileana called me to congratulate me and suggested we get together. I decided I could afford to take a couple days whether my coach wanted me to or not. I already kind of mentioned she's one of those coaches who believe you shouldn't do certain things while you're in training."

"No sex before competitions?" Reid teased.

"Yes, Spencer, that's exactly it. Anyway, I figured it was after the competition and she didn't need to know anyway, so I didn't tell her where I was going. I met Ileana in Stockholm and we spent a couple of days together. I was lying on the bed in our hotel room one morning while she was in the shower and her cell phone rang. She had left it sitting on the bed, so when she got out of the shower I told her she had missed a call. She checked her messages and then she told me she had to leave right away. I assumed it was an emergency and asked what I could do to help. She told me nothing, she just had to leave right away. I didn't say much else; I just sat on the bed and looked at her while she packed her bags. I suggested she should at least let me carry her bags or get her a taxi but she insisted she didn't need any help. She got a little snippy when I tried to help, but I put it all down to her being worried about something and just let her go."

"What happened? Did you find out?"

"Spencer, I know you've had some rough things happen to you; and I know you've still only told me some of it. But I hope the hell you _never_ have anyone tell you being with you was a mistake."

"What? Daniel, what are you talking about?"

"After Ileana left I sent her a text and left her a voice mail telling her I was there for her no matter what happened, and to please let me know if she needed anything. For a few days I didn't hear anything from her, so I started to become concerned. I did something that in retrospect I wish I hadn't done…"

"What did you do?"

"I contacted the skater who had given Ileana my number back in 2006 and told her I hadn't heard from Ileana since she had had to leave Stockholm suddenly and I was worried about her. There was a long silence on the other end of the line before she finally answered me." Daniel rubbed the back of his neck as if it were stiff before continuing. "Ileana was seeing someone else. She had been seeing someone else for a while, since some time in 2007; which explains why I saw so little of her that year when there were chances for us to see each other. This girl had no idea I didn't know; in fact, until I called she didn't know Ileana and I were still seeing each other. Neither did any of her other friends apparently."

"I'm sorry Daniel."

"Spencer, if it were only that she was seeing someone else… People do see other people, you know? When I found out, I called Ileana and left a message to please call me back to talk about it. I was very upset, and I was hurt, but I wanted to give her a chance to explain why she had lied to me, preferably in person."

"Did she call you back?"

"Eventually. She ignored me for a couple of days, then apparently our mutual friend said something to her about me and she was kind of forced to respond. She called my cell phone and left a message, and then she sent me an email. She told me that she regretted our time together in Stockholm, and that she wished she had never met me there. She told me our entire relationship had been a mistake, and we should never have gotten together in the first place. She told me she regretted ever even giving me her phone number in Torino. She said she only did it because all the reporters were standing there watching what she was doing and she thought it would be good publicity. She was right, the European press ran several stories about the U.S. Figure Skating Champion and the British snowboarder turned model getting together at the Olympic Village. There was even a photo of the two of us in _People _Magazine. I just didn't think about it until later."

"Daniel…"

"Let me finish Spencer, now that I've started." Reid sat quietly waiting for Daniel to continue. "She said she only went with me for the publicity at the time, and had strung me along basically. When she met this other guy instead of telling me the truth she just let me think we still had a relationship. As it turns out she met me in Stockholm because she had been having trouble with her other boyfriend and she used me to get back at him. When he called her, she basically left me to run back to him." He sighed. "She dumped me Spencer, and told me to go away because I wasn't worthy of her attention."

Reid stared at Daniel. "She used those exact words Daniel?"

Daniel nodded. "She did. I just hope you never hear those words from anyone, Spencer."

Reid looked at Daniel with sympathy. "I haven't so far."

"Good, because I can tell you it's like taking a knife to the gut and the heart at the same time. It makes you feel like you're worthless, like damaged goods."

"I'm sorry that happened to you, Daniel. I don't know what else to say, to be honest." Reid paused and the two men sat silently for a moment. "I don't understand one thing, though. You said it didn't end badly. How much more badly could something end?"

"I said 'ended badly' wasn't exactly how I would describe it. Besides, that wasn't the end anyway."

"You're kidding!"

"No, I'm not kidding Spencer." Reid made himself comfortable on the couch and waited for Daniel to continue. A long few minutes later Daniel leaned back and propped his left leg up on the couch and faced Reid. "I came away from my success in 2008 even more determined than I ever had been. I was going to do well in 2009, I was going to regain my National title, and I was going to come into an Olympic year with nothing to prove short of an Olympic Gold Medal. I was flying so high and what happened with Ileana just made me come crashing down like I was carrying a load of bricks. 2009 turned out to be a very bad year for me; I was ill, I was injured, I was heartbroken, I was feeling sorry for myself and I was uninspired… I was ready to quit for good. My family and my fans picked me up again, and Lina my coach kicked my butt and yelled at me in Russian until I was inspired again. I made the Olympic team this year and off I went to Vancouver." He shook his head and looked toward the sliding glass door. "Ileana is a world class snowboarder, and a medal favorite; so I knew she would be there," he continued softly. "However, with dozens of teams and thousands of athletes I was hoping I might avoid seeing her."

"But you didn't."

Daniel sighed. "Are you kidding? She was all over the place, not only because of her status in her sport, but also because she had a problem with a stalker."

"You're kidding!"

Daniel shook his head. "No, it was all over the place in the Olympic Village. It even got some attention in the mainstream media. This guy was showing up every place she went; competitions, interviews, family gatherings even. I couldn't avoid at least hearing about her; all I could do was try to avoid seeing her. And I felt like everyone was looking at me and either laughing behind my back or feeling sorry for me for being such a damn fool."

"I'm sure that wasn't true, Daniel."

"Probably not, but it sure felt that way at the time." He closed his eyes and didn't say anything for a couple minutes. "The day before the short program I came back to the Village from the practice rink and there she was sitting on the floor right outside my door. I saw her from down the hallway, and I just stopped. I mean, I couldn't believe she would have the nerve to come anywhere near me, let alone be waiting outside my door for me."

"What happened? What did you say to her?"

"After I recovered from my shock enough to walk up to the door I just stared at her while she stood up and looked right back at me. For a couple minutes neither one of us said anything. Then she just burst into tears and tried to hug me."

"She _tried_ to hug you?"

Daniel nodded. "I wouldn't let her at first. I pulled her arms away from my neck and kind of pushed her away from me. She just stared at me with her lip quivering and folded her arms in front of her. Then she told me she didn't blame me for being upset with her. I asked her what the _hell_ she thought she was doing there and would she please move away from in front of my door. She practically begged me to let her talk to me for a few minutes, so I unlocked the door and let her in." Daniel shook his head. "I just remember setting my skate bag down and turning around to look at her. I asked her… I asked her what in God's name she thought she was doing there, you know?" Daniel rubbed his temples and shook his head before continuing. "I asked her what the _hell_ she thought gave her the right to show up outside my door like that after what had happened between us, after what she had said to me, after what she had done to me. She looked at me and said she needed my help."

"She showed up there asking for your help? She had that much nerve?"

"She said she was scared, and she didn't know what else to do. Her stalker had contacted her right in the Olympic Village. She had decided to stay there instead of a hotel like some of the athletes because the security was tighter, but the guy still found a way to get a message through to her in the Village."

"It was just a message, Daniel. Anyone can get mail to the athletes just by addressing it to them."

"This wasn't mailed, Spencer, it was hand delivered."

"So maybe the stalker just handed it to someone to give to her."

"That's what I thought then, and it's probably what actually happened. But Ileana was terrified and she came running to me for help. She knew I had had my own problems with a stalker so she figured I would understand; plus she also knew she could trust me. At that point I knew I couldn't turn her away." He sighed again. "I cared about her too much."

"You still cared about her that much even after everything that had happened?"

Daniel nodded. "Yes Spencer; even after everything that had happened I still cared about her."

"So what happened after that?"

"I was one of the athletes who had a single room, so she asked me if she could stay there for a while, and because I'm apparently a glutton for punishment I told her yes. I walked her back to her own room and waited while she packed a few things and then I let her stay in my room. Once we got back to the room I told her I was going to help her but I also felt like I deserved an explanation for what she'd done to me."

"What was her explanation?"

Daniel shook her head. "She said she didn't have one. She told me she couldn't possibly express how sorry she was for hurting me, and that she really had no excuse. She just felt like she could still trust me despite everything that had gone wrong between us." Daniel looked at Reid who was looking back at him as though he thought he was crazy. "Stop looking at me like that, Spencer. You would probably have done the same thing in my situation. You know you can't resist helping a woman in distress."

"Is that the end of it?" Reid asked as Daniel stood up to go into his kitchen.

Daniel handed Reid a bottle of water and then sat back down on the couch and opened his own bottle of water. "No Spencer that is not the end of it. The next morning I woke up, took my shower, got dressed and heard a knock on my door. It was Tanith and Ben. I had forgotten we were going to have breakfast together before I headed off to the rink for my last practice before the short program. I thought Tanith was going to have a heart attack when she saw Ileana in my room. Ben actually had to physically hold her back from getting up in Ileana's face." Daniel actually smiled at that point. "Tanith isn't a violent sort of person, but she was ready to commit violence at that point in time."

"Daniel, I don't understand something… Obviously your friend Tanith knew what happened between you and Ileana, which is why she reacted the way she did. Why would your brother mention her to you? Didn't he know what happened between you?"

Daniel shook his head. "No one knew what really happened except Tanith, Ben and a couple other close friends of mine. Everyone else knew she dumped me, but they didn't know any details. My brother just assumed we became friends again in Vancouver and that's why he mentioned her name to me. Tanith knew because I was so upset after it happened I was close to tears and she got the story out of me. I ended up telling Ben also, and a couple other people, but like I said, most people just thought we broke up; some figured she dumped me, and only a few knew all the details."

"Daniel… I still don't understand something. Vancouver was months ago, if you two are friends again, why haven't you mentioned her name before this?"

"Spencer, she left me _again_. Like I said before, I realize she lives in another country, but… After the short program that night she stayed in my room again, she competed the next day and then she left that same night. She didn't even stay for the long program and see me win my medal. She said she was too frightened to stay any longer, so she won her medal and then she left. She walked up to me and said thanks for helping me, Daniel. I'll never forget it, I'll never forget _you_. I'm so sorry I hurt you, you didn't deserve it. You're a very nice person, Daniel. You deserve to be happy, Daniel. Then she left me without a second glance. Again."

"She was scared, Daniel. Surely you can understand that part of it at least."

Daniel leaned his back against the armrest and propped both feet up on the couch. "I _do_ understand it, Spencer. It just hurts so badly, even now. And the worst part of it is this time I _let_ her hurt me again."

"She said she'd never forget you," Spencer said softly. "Have you heard from her at all since?"

Daniel nodded. "A couple times. She congratulated me on my silver medal via email, and she's sent me a couple emails since then. That's all."

"You're not going to let this influence your decision of which school to attend are you?"

Daniel shook his head. "I hope not Spencer."

"Are you even going to tell her about being accepted into Oxford?"

"I don't know Spencer."

"It's something you really need to think about, Daniel. I think it's time for me to go to bed. Are you going to be okay?"

Daniel nodded. "I'll be fine Spencer. Thank you. And thank you again for listening."

Reid smiled. "One good turn deserves another, Daniel. You've listened to me plenty."

/\/\/\/\

**A/N: **This is mostly dialogue again, but there was really no other way to tell this part of the story without it. I couldn't really 'show' what happened; I had to 'tell' what happened.

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	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: **I would like to thank all of my wonderful reviewers, 68luvcarter, Sue1313, Nagen66, 8393, Talulah Carmichael, SumNumb3rs, and the-vampire-act. I laughed out loud when I read Nagen66 describing Ileana Landon as a 'hateful cow'! LOL!

**/\/\/\/\**

**Disclaimer: **See my profile.

Spoilers for Chapter Eleven and Chapter Twelve of my story _A Force of Nature__._

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'_**A Force of Nature: Part II'**_

Chapter Eighteen

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Reid could not help himself. Once he had heard Daniel's story about Ileana curiosity got the better of him and he decided he had to look up information on her. He typed 'Ileana Landon' into Google and hit enter to see what results he would pull up. The top results were her 'official' web page, her biography at Wikipedia, and her athlete's page at nbcolympics . com. Reid opened her official webpage first and immediately saw a photo of a beautiful blue-eyed woman with dark blond hair. Daniel's description of Ileana as 'beautiful' had definitely not been an exaggeration. He read the biography posted on her site, but there was no mention of Daniel or any other boyfriend anywhere. There were numerous photos of her dressed for competition as well as modeling poses and red carpet style photos. Reid shrugged and went to _People_ magazine's website and typed Daniel's name in the search box. He received links to recent articles on his stalker and a few months further back articles from the Vancouver Winter Olympics. He typed Daniel Meier and Ileana Landon into the search box and received one link, which he promptly clicked on. All it contained was one photo with a caption accompanying it identifying the young couple pictured as 'U.S. Figure Skating Champion Daniel Meier and British Snowboarding Champion Ileana Landon at the Olympic Village in Torino'. "He looks so happy and carefree," Reid said aloud. "It must feel like eons ago to him." His head turned toward the bedroom door when he heard the phone ring. He stood up and looked out the door and down the hall. He heard Daniel answer the phone.

"Hello… Hey, Mark! I guess you arrived safely then… No, it's not too late. I told you to call when you got here…"

Reid didn't want to intrude on Daniel's private conversation, so he left the bedroom door open in case Daniel needed anything and went back to his laptop. Deciding he didn't need to know anything else about Ileana he closed all the links related to her and shut down his laptop. He picked up one of the books he had taken off of Daniel's bookshelf earlier in the evening, opened it and started reading. A few minutes later he looked up at the sound of a knock on the bedroom door and saw Daniel standing in the doorway.

"Pretty engrossing book," Daniel joked. Reid shrugged and closed the book. "I thought I would let you know I'm going to bed now. I talked to my brother and he arrived safely so I can relax now. See you in the morning, Spencer."

"Good night, Daniel."

"Good night, Spencer. And…thanks again for listening." Reid simply smiled in response as Daniel turned around and went into his own room.

/\

Reid watched as the actors played out the real life drama he and Daniel have lived what seemed like a lifetime ago, but was in reality only a couple of weeks ago. The actor portraying Reid didn't look that much like him, at least not to Reid's eyes. The actor portraying Daniel slightly resembled him, though Reid assumed a vague resemblance was all that was really necessary. The body types were close, at least.

The assistant director walked up to Reid and said, "Agent Reid? When you first saw Carriol and Hyde next to the car you were standing by the wall over there, correct?"

"Uh yes; I looked around the wall to the parking lot next door and saw the tan sedan was empty. When I looked back I saw Carriol and Hyde standing in front of Mr. Meier."

The assistant director went back to the actors and a few minutes later shooting resumed. The entire process was fascinating to Reid. Watching the work being done shot by shot and then comparing it to the smooth seamlessness of the finished product was amazing to him. He watched the television version of himself spot Carriol and Hyde talking to Daniel and then run around the gas pumps so they could not see him coming and sneak up behind Carriol. The director cut once more, asked Reid a question about Daniel tasering Hyde, and then shooting resumed once more. When the television versions of the BAU team came in to shoot their part of the scene Reid nearly laughed out loud when he saw the actor playing Morgan. He had a full head of hair, although it was closely cropped; and Morgan had not had that much hair in years.

By six p.m. Reid was headed back to his apartment to pick up some clean clothes. He usually was at Daniel's house by six pm; however today because of the _America's Most Wanted _shooting schedule at the gas station he wasn't going to make it by six. He called Morgan on the way and informed him he would be late, and then repacked his go bag and headed to Daniel's house. Reid thought about the fact that since the case with Carriol and then Daniel and his stalker had begun he had not had a day completely off from work. Morgan and Prentiss had managed to have a day off when Reid had spent the night at Daniel's parents' house; however Reid had not. He didn't really mind because, as he had told Morgan on Sunday afternoon, even though he still had to be vigilant, the detail was almost like hanging around with a friend.

At nearly 8p.m. Reid arrived at Daniel's house and parked his car in the driveway. He let himself in with the key Daniel had given him and found Daniel, Morgan and Prentiss sitting on the living room sofa watching television. "Hey guys," Reid said.

"Too bad you're late kid," Morgan said. "Daniel made the most delicious meat loaf. Prentiss and I were hungry, so we ate your share."

"Don't listen to him, Spencer. There's a salad in the refrigerator and a plate with meatloaf and a baked potato keeping warm in the oven."

"Thank you Daniel," Reid said. He placed his go bag in the guest bedroom he had been using and then walked into the kitchen. "How did skating go today?"

"I was a little rusty. I fell on my ass a couple times, but after an hour or so I got all the kinks out and things went a little better."

"Olivia was there and she tried to get Morgan to come out on the ice with her, but he kept making excuses why he couldn't skate with her," Prentiss said.

"They were _not_ excuses!" Morgan protested.

"What were they then?" Reid asked.

"Okay, so I'm not supremely confident in my ability to stand up on skates," Morgan said. "However, at least I've thought about it. Prentiss here won't even consider it."

"Right, but I've been honest about it. _You_ keep saying maybe, or I'll try it later."

"Whatever," Morgan grumbled.

Reid chuckled as Morgan and Prentiss stood up and prepared to leave. They said their goodbyes and then headed for the door. "Hey Morgan," Reid called. "The actor playing you in _America's Most Wanted_ has more hair than you do." Morgan glared at him and Prentiss laughed as the two went out the door. Reid sat down at the table with his salad and a bottle of water. Daniel grabbed water for himself and sat down with him. "So Morgan really wormed his way out of skating again?"

Daniel laughed. "I have to say, his excuses are pretty creative."

"Even with Olivia around?"

"Hah! If it were just me I might actually be able to convince him; but I think my throwing Olivia into the mix may have backfired."

It was Reid's turn to laugh. "I guess he wouldn't mind as much falling in front of you, but doesn't want to risk falling in front of a pretty woman." After finishing his salad Reid pulled the plate out of the oven and set it on the table. After loading his baked potato with butter, sour cream and shredded cheese he took a few bites and then said, "So practice went pretty well today then?"

"The first hour I wondered if I was going to land a jump cleanly all day. After that it went okay. Lina stopped yelling at me in Russian about ninety minutes into my day at the rink."

Reid shook my head. "You and your coach crack me up," he said.

"Glad I could help keep you amused Spencer."

Reid grinned. "What are we up to tonight?"

Daniel sighed. "I don't know. I think I might try writing for a couple hours and then turn in early and try to get some sleep. My parents and my brother will be here in the morning."

"Let me know if I can do anything to help."

"I will Spencer. Thanks."

/\

Reid yawned as he walked down the hallway toward the kitchen to grab something to drink. It was almost three am and he couldn't sleep. His brow furrowed when he spotted Daniel sitting on the floor in the corner of the small dining room. He had the phone in his hand and was resting his head back against the wall with his eyes closed. "Daniel, what in the world are you doing?"

Daniel opened his eyes and looked at Reid. "I'm sitting on the floor."

Reid reached into the refrigerator for the milk. "I can see that. Would you like some milk?" Daniel shook his head, so Reid poured himself a glass and put the carton back in the refrigerator. He walked over to where Daniel was sitting and eased himself down on to the floor and looked over at Daniel. "So…why are we sitting on the floor, by the way?"

"I know why I'm sitting on the floor; I don't know why you are, Spencer."

"Why are you sitting on the floor Daniel?"

"Because when I slid down the wall the floor was where I landed."

"What?"

Daniel sighed. "Oh Spencer, I did a really stupid thing."

"What did you do?"

Daniel closed his eyes again for a moment. "I called Ileana."

Reid didn't say anything for a moment, and then he sighed. "What happened Daniel?"

"It's really over this time, Spencer. I don't know what I was thinking." He shook his head. "I told her I had been accepted to Oxford and was still waiting to hear from Columbia and Maryland."

"What did she say?" Reid asked, thinking he already knew the answer to his question.

"She said congratulations. Then she made it more than clear there wasn't anything between us any longer, and she basically said she hoped I wasn't thinking about going to Oxford because I would be close to her." He shrugged. "She said she's happy and she's seeing someone else now. She suggested it was time for me to move on."

Reid didn't say anything for a minute. "Daniel, don't you think maybe it _is_ time for you to move on? I mean, all this girl has done for years now is string you along. You didn't know that at first, but now you do, and yet you still want to keep letting her do it. You have to stop giving her that power over you. She's doing you a favor by suggesting it's time for you to move on. That might be the one favor she ever does for you."

A tear rolled down Daniel's right cheek. "What's _wrong_ with me Spencer? Why do I keep doing this to myself?"

Reid shook his head. "The same reason we all do, Daniel. It's hard to let go."

Daniel looked at Reid. "You sound like you know what you're talking about, Spencer. I guess there's something I haven't wormed out of you yet."

Reid half laughed. "There's a lot you haven't wormed out of me yet, Daniel. But yes, I do have a broken heart in my past."

Daniel looked at Reid who started to squirm. "My butt is hurting sitting on this floor," Reid complained.

Daniel chuckled. "That's because you don't have as much padding on your rear end as I do Spencer. See I have this skater's ass; all this muscle covering my butt and thighs developing from years of training and stroking over the ice…"

"Daniel," Reid said as he managed to get himself up off the floor. "I refuse to discuss either of our rear ends with you. Call Garcia, she will be more than happy to talk about that particular topic with you. She'd probably even take pictures if she doesn't already have some."

Daniel shook his head and laughed lightly. "She does have pictures Spencer. She showed them to me. She sure can cheer a person up in a flash, can't she?"

Reid smiled. "Definitely."

Daniel pushed himself up off the floor and placed the phone back in its cradle. "Now that I've managed to stab myself in the heart, maybe I should try to get back to sleep."

"Daniel, are you okay?"

"No Spencer, I'm not okay. I suppose eventually I will be though."

"I'm sorry Daniel."

Daniel sighed. "If it wasn't so late I might call my dad. But he'll be here in a few hours anyway." He headed for his bedroom. "Good night Spencer, and thanks again for listening."

"You're welcome Daniel. Good night."

/\/\/\/\

**A/N: **Just a little bit of fluff. I decided not to make this chapter too long. A little more fluff before we get much 'action' in the story.

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	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: **Sorry for taking so long to update! Too many other things going on, I guess. Just some more fluff for now! It ends a little abruptly, but I'm really tired, and apologize in advance if there is any lameness here…

**Disclaimer: **See my profile.

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'_**A Force of Nature: Part II'**_

Chapter Nineteen

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Daniel knocked on the guest bedroom door. "Sorry to bother you this early Spencer; but my mom just called to let me know they are on their way."

"Daniel it's okay. I was already awake so I'll just go hop in the shower and then get dressed."

"We have plenty of time until they get here; I just wanted to let you know they were leaving." He walked toward his living room.

Reid stuck his head through the bedroom doorway. "Daniel, are you okay?"

Daniel looked back at him. "Why wouldn't I be okay?"

Reid shrugged. "Oh I don't know. You just seem a little down. That's understandable after what happened earlier this morning, I would say."

Daniel sighed. "I'll be fine Spencer. I'm just a little tired and maybe a little down. I want to try and pep myself up a little before my family gets here. I'll make us some breakfast."

"Okay, I'll hop in the shower."

Thirty minutes later Reid and Daniel sat at the table eating bacon, toast and cheese omelets. "I'm surprised at you Daniel," Reid remarked. "You don't usually eat a heavy breakfast."

"I know. I decided I felt like eating today."

"That will make Caroline happy."

"Definitely! She does not like how I eat when I'm in training." He laughed. "She'd like to wean me off coffee altogether. She thinks I drink way too much of it. If she saw how much _you_ actually drink…"

"I kind of tempered how much coffee I drank when I was staying at their house with you."

"I noticed," Daniel laughed. "Based on your usual pattern my mother would have thought you lived on coffee."

"My mother already does. She says it's why I'm so skinny."

"I think you've gained a few pounds. Penelope says it looks good on you."

Reid sighed. "Daniel, _must_ you and Garcia spend so much time discussing my life?"

"Yes Spencer. Penelope loves you! Your life, health and happiness are important to her."

"I appreciate that. I love her also, but why does she insist on butting into my life?"

"Because she's Penelope Garcia, and she honestly believes it's her duty to take care of everyone, and Spencer Reid in particular."

"It's not that I don't appreciate it… Wait a minute! Why is it every time we start talking about you it always comes around to talking about me instead?"

Daniel shrugged. "I guess I'm getting pretty good at steering attention away from myself when I want to."

"Steer it toward someone else besides me."

"Like who?"

"I don't know Daniel. How about Hotch?"

Daniel laughed out loud. "Right, Spencer! I'm going to deflect attention from myself to Agent Hotchner. Sure, that will work!"

Once they were done with breakfast Reid offered to clean up while Daniel took a shower and got dressed. Once he was done with the dishes Reid repacked his go bag and set it down on the floor next to the bedroom door. Once Daniel's family arrived his parents would be using his room and he and his brother Mark would be using the guest room Reid had been sleeping in. Reid would be using the couch.

Just before 11:30 am Daniel and Reid were sitting at the kitchen table when Daniel's cell phone rang. "It's my brother," he told Reid, as he picked the phone up. "Hey Mark... Okay, turn left at the next corner, right on Elmond, left on Lochester, my house will be the fourth one down on the left… I'll see you in a few minutes then." Daniel closed the phone and turned to Reid. "They'll be here in about ten minutes. I haven't seen my brother in person since Vancouver." He stood up. "Can we go wait outside Spencer?"

"Sure, no problem. We can wait outside."

Fifteen minutes later the two men were standing outside the house when a dark blue mid-size car turned on to the street. ""There they are!" Daniel said. He walked down to the curb as the car pulled up and parked. Daniel grinned broadly as the backseat passenger side door opened and his brother climbed out of the car and enveloped him in a hug. Daniel laughed as he saw Reid watching them with amusement. "Mark, I'd like you to meet Supervisory Special Agent Dr. Spencer Reid. Spencer, this is my baby brother Mark Meier."

Reid shook Mark's offered hand and quickly assessed him. He was about two inches shorter than Daniel's 5'10"; and where Daniel had dark brown hair and green eyes, his brother had light brown hair and blue eyes. "It's nice to meet you Mark, I've certainly heard a lot about you."

"I've heard a lot about you as well Agent Reid," Mark said. "From my parents and from Daniel."

"Hello Spencer," Caroline said before hugging him. Reid hugged her back and then shook hands with Alex.

"I know it's only been two days, but it's still good to see you both again," Reid said.

"We're not going to make it to Quantico by noon," Alex commented.

"No, we won't. But we shouldn't be too late," Reid commented as he, Daniel and Mark pulled their luggage out of the car.

"As long as mom gets to meet John Walsh she'll be just fine," Mark teased.

Caroline blushed a little. "Okay, so I like John Walsh."

"We know mom," Daniel and Mark said at the same time. Reid chuckled at the look on Caroline's face.

As the five of them walked toward the house Mark asked, "So Agent Reid, my brother tells me you were shot in the leg protecting someone?"

"Well I… It isn't that big of a thing," Reid answered, slightly embarrassed.

"Sure Spencer. People push other people out of the way all the time and then take a bullet for them," Daniel said.

"I was doing my job," Reid protested.

"Would you do that for my brother?" Mark asked.

"Mark!" Caroline, Alex and Daniel all protested at once.

"Okay, I'm sorry! It was a bad attempt at a joke!"

"A _very_ bad attempt at a joke," Daniel added.

"I'm usually an investigator," Spencer told Mark. "I don't normally do protection details or any kind of bodyguard duty. However, when I do I take it seriously. I don't intend for either one of us to be in a position where I would have to make that decision; however, if it came right down to it, yes I would do that for your brother." Reid walked into Daniel's house and set the suitcases he was carrying down inside Daniel's bedroom.

"Good going jackass!" Daniel said, smacking his brother on the shoulder.

"I didn't mean anything by it!" Mark protested.

As they walked inside and set the rest of the bags down Daniel looked at Reid. "Um, I'm sorry about that Spencer. Mark doesn't have much sense sometimes."

"Excuse me?" Mark protested.

"It's okay," Reid said. "How long until we can leave for Quantico?"

"I just need to use the bathroom and then I'll be ready," Caroline said.

Mark and Reid were left together in the living room while Alex, Caroline and Daniel went into the bathrooms and bedrooms. "Um, that was kind of a dumb thing to say," Mark said awkwardly. "I didn't mean anything by it."

"It's okay," Reid told him.

"So…uh, my brother tells me you're a genius?"

"I don't believe intelligence can be properly quantified, but I do have an I.Q. of 187 and an eidetic memory. I have six college degrees, so yes, I'm a genius."

"Uh hunh…" Mark looked around as if he were trying to think of something else to say. "So…how come my brother hasn't driven you crazy yet?"

Reid laughed. "He asked me basically the same question just yesterday. I told him it was high tolerance due to years of practice from being annoyed by one of my colleagues who seems to believe treating me like a little brother also means teasing me."

"That's funny!"

"What's funny?" Alex asked as he and Caroline walked into the room.

"Agent Reid's answer to my asking why Daniel hasn't driven him crazy yet."

All four of them turned around at the sound of Daniel's sigh. "It didn't take you long to start giving me a hard time, did it Mark?"

"I was just asking Agent Reid a question," Mark laughed as the group headed for the door. "Which car are we taking?"

"Mine," Daniel responded.

"Oh, oh! That means you'll be driving and you scare me when you drive."

Daniel sighed. "Too bad, deal with it."

Reid tried to hold back a grin as he walked out the door first to make sure everything was okay and then motioned for the others to follow. "Don't worry, I'm used to riding shotgun with Daniel driving," he teased.

/\

"Baby Girl, try not to act like a crazy person when Daniel and his family get here," Morgan told Garcia.

"And just what do you mean by that?" Garcia put her hands on her hips and glared at Morgan.

"I'm just saying he will have his parents and brother with him and you haven't met them yet. If it's just him you can squeal and jump on him and act all teenage groupie like; with his parents along you have to exhibit a little more decorum."

"A 'little more decorum'? I told you before I do _**not**_ act like a teenage groupie!"

"Right Garcia! And I don't breathe!"

"We have progressed beyond that stage anyway, Derek! We are now friends," Garcia protested.

"I get that, I just thought I'm mention it. I mean after all, you and he are the same two people who managed to get pizza sauce all over each other while making pizza."

"I never should have told you about that," Garcia grumbled. She gasped. "Oh! Morgan, there's John Walsh over there talking to the director. I've been looking for him ever since the crew showed up to shoot. He must have just gotten here!"

Morgan shook his head. "Calm down Garcia."

"When do I get to meet him?"

"When he decides to come over and introduce himself."

"Oh, come on!" Garcia's expression changed when the elevator doors opened and Reid, Daniel, Mark, Alex and Caroline stepped off and into the BAU. "Daniel and his family are here!" Despite what Morgan had said she immediately hurried over to great Daniel.

"Penelope!" Daniel said enthusiastically as soon as he saw her. Garcia squealed and hugged Daniel as his parents and brother looked on in amusement. "Penelope!" Daniel protested with a smile. "You just saw me less than two days ago."

"For less than two hours after you were gone for days! That hardly even counts!" She looked around as if she were finally realizing Daniel were not alone and then cleared her throat. "Uh sorry… I, um, get a little enthusiastic sometimes!"

"I tried to warn her," Morgan said, walking up behind Garcia.

Daniel cleared his throat. "Um, I'd like you all to meet some people. This enthusiastic young lady is my good friend Penelope Garcia, the technical analyst for Spencer's BAU team. Penelope this is my mother Caroline Meier, my father Alex Meier and my baby brother Mark Meier. Of course mom and dad you know Derek already; Mark this is SSA Derek Morgan, Spencer's fellow BAU team member and self-proclaimed big brother to Spencer."

"It's uh, nice to meet you all," Garcia said demurely.

"It's really good to meet you," Alex said. "Thank you so much for being so helpful to Daniel."

"Yes," Mark added. "We certainly have heard a lot about you."

"Penelope, I am _so_ happy to finally meet you! Daniel has talked about you a lot! He said you were one of his biggest fans," Caroline said. She quickly hugged Garcia, who smiled and hugged her back.

"I think Garcia is in with your mother," Morgan told Daniel.

"Was there ever any doubt? She's Penelope," Daniel answered.

Morgan laughed and then turned to Mark. "It's nice to meet you, Mark." He shook hands with Daniel's brother.

"Are you the one who teases Agent Reid?" Mark responded.

"What is this?" Morgan protested. "Some kind of Meier family conspiracy?"

"Derek I told you, if you stop picking on Spencer we wouldn't have to say anything," Caroline said.

"I do _not_ pick on Reid," Morgan protested.

"Like you just said to me Derek, 'right, and I don't breathe'," Garcia said.

Morgan sighed and looked at Reid who was trying unsuccessfully to stifle a grin. Reid waved when he saw JJ and Prentiss heading for the conference room. "Come meet Daniel's family," he called to them.

"Meet us in the conference room," JJ called back.

Garcia hooked her left arm through Daniel's right arm and a few minutes later she, Daniel, Reid, Morgan, and Daniel's family and the rest of the BAU team were in the conference room. Daniel made introductions all around between his family and JJ, Prentiss, Rossi and Hotch. Hotch could not help smiling when Caroline handed him yet another batch of cookies. Everyone turned around when they heard a knock on the conference room door. "May I come in?" John Walsh asked.

"Of course, John. Please come in," Rossi answered.

"Who wants to make the introductions?" Walsh asked.

"Everyone," Rossi said. "I believe you all know John Walsh, the host of _America's Most Wanted_. John I believe you already know a few people here. This is Daniel Meier, and his parents Caroline and Alex Meier, his brother Mark; you know everyone else except Penelope Garcia our technical analyst."

Walsh said hello and shook hands with everyone and then turned to Reid and Daniel. "Agent Reid, I'm looking forward to having you in the studio next Saturday. And of course Daniel, you'll be answering phones during the broadcast?"

"Uh yes, I will," Daniel answered.

"What other cases will be featured that night?" Alex asked.

"We have a scumbag who raped three women and shot a police officer; we have two missing children; and we have a gang member who shot three people in a drive by. And of course, we have the Dolby Carriol case."

"I just love it when you call people 'scumbag' or 'lowlife', and things like that," Caroline said.

Walsh chuckled. "Most people do."

"Can we watch some of the filming?" Mark asked.

"Of course. We only have a couple more scenes to film here, the shooting is done at the gas station, and the crew down in Bermuda should be finished by the end of the day. Come with me and we'll talk to the director about you watching." Daniel shook his head as his mother rushed up next to Walsh and insisted on walking next to him as the group left the conference room.

Daniel noticed Prentiss glancing at Mark and said, "What are you looking at, Emily?"

"Nothing," Prentiss replied quickly.

"Well stop looking at nothing, and look at something else instead."

Morgan laughed. "Over protective much Daniel?" Daniel glared at him as the group followed Walsh.

/\/\/\/\

10


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: **See my profile.

/\/\/\/\

'_**A Force of Nature: Part II'**_

Chapter Twenty

/\/\/\/\

Reid, Morgan, Prentiss, JJ, Garcia, and Daniel's family stood watching the _'America's Most Wanted'_ crew film actors portraying the BAU team film scenes sitting at their desks. "You're right kid," Morgan told Reid. "The actor playing me doesn't look much like me."

"And he has more hair," Prentiss added with a laugh. JJ joined Emily in laughing.

"I have no idea what you all think is so funny," Morgan grumbled.

"It's the hair thing honey," Garcia teased.

"She's right," Daniel quipped. "You…no hair. The actor…hair!"

"It is a somewhat inaccurate portrayal as far as hair goes," Alex teased, looking at Morgan's head. His comment elicited a laugh from Caroline and Mark.

"You fit right in with this group don't you?" Morgan asked Mark.

Mark shrugged. "I figure why not?" He looked at Garcia who had not left Daniel's side since they had arrived at the BAU. "What do you think of the actress portraying you?"

"Oh she's cute, but she doesn't have my sense of style," Garcia answered.

"No one has your sense of style, Penelope. I told you, you are completely unique," Daniel smiled.

"Ah! Thank you Daniel. You're just so sweet to me!"

"Penelope you know you deserve all the sweetness in the world."

"So do you honey!"

"Ew… This is like…disgusting," Mark groaned.

"I think it's cute!" Caroline smiled. To Garcia she said, "I like you Penelope. I can see why Daniel and Spencer are so fond of you."

Mark made a funny face and Reid leaned over to him and said, "You should have seen them when we were making our own pizzas the other day."

"I can imagine."

Hotch, Rossi and John Walsh walked up the group. "Enjoying what you've seen so far?" Walsh asked Caroline and Alex.

"It's quite interesting," Alex answered.

"They're going to film a couple of scenes in the conference room now. You won't be able to watch those being done due to lack of space inside the room. However, in about an hour I'm going to be taping an introduction to the segment right over here in front of the rail. You can all watch that being done, of course."

"Thank you very much," Caroline said.

"I'll see you in an hour then," Walsh said, before walking away to speak to the segment director.

"Morgan, may I speak to you in my office for a moment?" Hotch asked. "Garcia, I need you to look up some information for me." At the disappointed look on her face he fought to suppress a grin. "It probably won't take longer than half an hour to forty-five minutes. You will be able to come back in plenty of time to watch John shoot his introduction."

"Okay I'll be right there," Garcia said. She turned to Daniel and said, "I'll be right back honey."

"Don't be gone too long Penelope. I'll miss you," Daniel teased.

"You'll also be back in plenty of time to hang all over Daniel," Morgan said as he, Garcia and Hotch headed for Hotch's office.

"Be quiet!" Garcia said, smacking him on the arm.

Reid started laughing after Garcia walked away with Morgan. "What a pair you two are…"

Daniel shrugged. "We're having fun. Without a little fun, what else is there?"

/\

"Tell me the truth Spencer. Is my mother acting silly?" Daniel asked.

Reid looked over to where Caroline stood intently watching John Walsh as he spoke directly to his audience through the television cameras. "Not really. She's just watching Mr. Walsh."

"Yes, from as close as she can get without standing in front of the cameras herself," Alex quipped.

His comment elicited a chuckle from Rossi. "There are worse people she could be looking at," he said.

"I suppose it's better to have your wife looking at a man who catches serial killers instead of the serial killers themselves," Alex answered.

Daniel looked around. "Where's Mark?"

"Right behind you. Geez, relax a little, Mr. Overprotective! I just went to the bathroom," Mark said as he walked up beside Reid and looked at his brother with an annoyed look on his face.

Garcia rushed up to Daniel and hooked her arm through his again. "Sorry Daniel, I had to finish looking something up for Hotch; but I'm back."

Daniel smiled at her. "At least I know _you_ love me Penelope." He then pouted at her and she giggled.

"Of course, Sugar! Always!"

"Are they always like that?" Mark asked Reid.

"Yes, they are. Actually they are usually worse." Reid laughed. "But I think it's really cute."

"Cute? Okay…"

A few minutes later the scene was finished shooting and Walsh walked over to the group watching. "Well everyone that was the final scene and it's a wrap for this segment."

"I thought you would be filming for one more day," Caroline said.

"As it turns out we finished sooner than we expected and wrapped a day early," Walsh said.

"Spencer and I will be on the day of the broadcast mom," Daniel added.

"Agent Reid is going to be in the studio with me next Saturday during the broadcast; and he and Daniel will also be answering calls for the hotline."

"It was certainly a pleasure meeting you Mr. Walsh," Alex told him. "We've been watching '_America's Most Wanted'_ from the first episode."

"It was my pleasure Alex. And no one calls me Mr. Walsh. Please, the name is John." Walsh shook hands with everyone and then walked away to join the show's director and producer.

"He was cool," Mark said.

"Definitely," Caroline said, staring after Walsh.

"Honestly mom," Daniel said.

"What?"

"Nothing mom, never mind."

Rossi's cell phone rang. "It's Morgan," he said, looking at the Caller I.D. "Rossi." He listened for a moment. "Okay, we'll be right there." After hanging up the phone Rossi said, "Morgan and Hotch want the rest of the team in the conference room right away."

"Should we just wait here?" Daniel asked.

"We can have another agent take you down to the cafeteria or something, or you are more than welcome to sit at the team's desks in the bullpen while we're in the conference room," Rossi answered.

"Oh I want to sit at the desks!" Mark exclaimed.

"That one there is mine, that's Morgan and this one belongs to Prentiss," Reid said.

"Damn, you're way more organized than Agent Morgan," Mark commented when he looked at the desks.

"Morgan can be a slob," Prentiss said as she headed for the conference room.

"Try to survive without me," Garcia told Daniel as she followed Prentiss.

Daniel laughed. "I will do my best."

A few minutes later the team was assembled in the conference room and JJ was handing each of them a file. "What's this?" Reid asked. "Something to do with Daniel's stalker?"

"No," Hotch answered. "It's an entirely different case. We have too many requests for our services right now for the other teams to handle, and for the BAU to justify our entire team remaining on Daniel's case."

"Hotch, they are seriously pulling us off this case?" Reid asked.

"You couldn't change the director's mind?" Rossi asked.

Hotch shook his head. "No, I could not." He looked around the table. "You all know we don't normally provide long term protection for victims in cases like these. The U.S. Marshal's Service is usually responsible for that."

"They're putting the U.S. Marshals in charge of protecting Daniel?" Garcia asked.

"No," Morgan answered.

"They're dropping his protection altogether?" Reid asked, incredulous.

"No Reid, they are not. The reason Hotch called me into his office was to get my perspective on whether he and Rossi's idea made sense."

"What idea is that?" Prentiss asked.

Rossi spoke. "When Hotch informed me the team was being sent out on a case I suggested that perhaps Reid might stay on the protection detail. Reid is going to remain with Daniel; however the rest of the team is being pulled off to work on this latest case." He looked at Reid. "Basically this means you'll be on duty 24/7 when it comes to Daniel. You'll be going to New York and Los Angeles with just him and you unless you would like to request help from the Marshals." He leaned back in his chair. "Think you can handle that, Agent Reid?"

"Without Daniel driving you crazy, he means," Morgan chuckled.

"Or you driving him crazy," Prentiss added.

The entire team laughed at that. "Why did you give me a copy of the file then?" Reid asked.

"To get your thoughts on it quickly before we leave," Hotch answered.

/\

"So it's going to be just you and me then?" Daniel asked Reid a few minutes later.

"Yes. Garcia is staying behind in Quantico; but Hotch, Rossi, Morgan, Prentiss and JJ are wheels up in an hour on this latest case in Orlando." He looked at Daniel, who was sitting on the edge of his desk. "We can call in the Marshals."

"What for?"

"Well, for security purposes…"

"Oh please, we don't really need them do we Spencer?"

Reid smiled. "I hope not."

Mark looked from his brother to Reid and then back. "I wish I could be around for this."

"Around for what?" Alex asked.

"These two together 24/7. Daniel could drive Mother Teresa bonkers on a good day, so I just wish I could see how this works out," Mark laughed.

"Mark, be nice!" Caroline said.

"Yeah really! What are you, perfect?" Daniel remarked to his brother. "Besides, I've decided to change my tickets for Los Angeles so we can make a quick stop in Phoenix on the way. I want to meet your new girlfriend."

"Really? You're going to do that for me?"

"Well yes…why wouldn't I?"

Mark smiled. "Uh, I don't know… I just… Uh, never mind, it isn't important."

"Okay I'm ready to go to dinner," they heard Garcia's cheerful voice say behind them. She walked directly up to Daniel who immediately put his arm around her.

"So what we're doing is having dinner, stopping at your place Spencer, then home to Daniel's house," Alex stated as the five of them headed for the elevators.

"Yes, I need more clothes. So I'll have to pack a few more things if I'm going to be there all the time."

"This _is_ going to be safe for both of you, isn't it? Caroline asked anxiously.

"Oh they'll be fine Caroline, I assure you!" Garcia stated.

"I'm still going to worry…"

"Of course you'll worry, you're a mother. It will be fine," Garcia insisted as the elevator doors opened and they walked in, with the door shutting behind them.

/\/\/\/\

7


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N:** Been trying to finish this chapter for days. It may have come out a little lame, but I've been tired, not feeling well, and the Diamondbacks had to have a fourteen inning four hour forty-five minute game to distract me even more on Wednesday. Anyway, here it is, such as it is!

**Disclaimer: ** See my profile.

Spoilers for Chapter Five and Chapter Eight of _'A Force of Nature'._

/\/\/\/\

'_**A Force of Nature: Part II'**_

Chapter Twenty One

/\/\/\/\

"What is the case your team was called off on all about?" Mark asked Reid.

"It's a possible serial killer in the Orlando, Florida area," Reid answered. He, Garcia and Daniel's family were sitting in the Italian restaurant in Reid's neighborhood he had brought Daniel food from previously. The owners had been happy to see Reid and had enthusiastically welcomed the rest of the group as if they were members of the family. The fact they were with Spencer Reid was good enough for them. When Reid had introduced Daniel, Leo had immediately asked him how he had liked the food Reid had brought him. Daniel had laughed and told him it was delicious and that he had eaten way too much of it. Leo's wife Celeste had immediately bonded with Caroline when she told Daniel young men needed their strength and eating enough was not the same thing as eating too much. She had looked at Mark and proclaimed her joy at having three good looking young men to feed that evening. Reid had explained Alex's need to watch his diet, and Leo had explained it was no problem. He would prepare Alex's meal himself. Leo and Celeste had placed the group of six at one of their best tables and Celeste had waited on them herself while Leo returned to the kitchen.

Celeste was just returning to the table with salads when she heard Mark's question and Reid's answer. "No talking about business at my table! You come here to relax Spencer," she scolded him.

"I'm sorry Celeste," Reid smiled.

"I brought it up. Sorry," Mark added.

"I'll let it go this time," Celeste teased. "As long as you like our food."

"Somehow I don't think liking your food is going to be a problem," Mark responded.

"This is what I like; polite young men who eat my food and enjoy it." She walked away from the table smiling.

"They certainly seem like wonderful people," Caroline stated.

"They _are_ wonderful people. They've practically adopted me, and they scold me when I don't come in often enough," Reid smiled.

"You should have seen the food Spencer brought over from here that one night. I swear it was enough to feed a small army for about a month," Daniel said with a grin. "I'm seriously going to go whacko on my diet tonight because I have to have a piece of that cheesecake," he added.

"I _love_ cheesecake!" Garcia exclaimed.

"You won't want to stop at one piece with this cheesecake Garcia," Reid said as he poured some Italian dressing on his salad.

"That good?" Alex asked.

"Definitely that good," Reid responded.

"Then I definitely want some," Garcia said.

"Oh good grief!" Mark exclaimed a few minutes later when Celeste and Leo brought their food to the table. Reid had suggested a sample of several different menu items and the rest of the group had agreed. Now the couple was setting pizza, lasagna, spaghetti with meatballs, manicotti, baked ziti and chicken parmesan down on the table.

"How many more people are invited to this party?" Alex joked, looking up from the table at Leo.

"What you don't eat, you take home!" Leon patted Alex on the shoulder. "No salt added, and made with low fat cheese."

"Thank you Leo," Alex told him.

Ninety minutes later the group left the restaurant feeling stuffed and loaded with leftovers. Alex and Caroline also felt as though they had two new friends in Leo and Celeste. Celeste had told Reid he was forgiven for not coming in more often because he had brought some more people in to see her. Daniel escorted Garcia to her car and waited while she unlocked the door. "I really enjoyed meeting your family Daniel," Garcia said.

"They enjoyed meeting you. They like you a lot," Daniel answered.

"I'm glad to hear that. They're really nice people, and I like your brother also." She hugged Daniel. "I'll see you later sweetheart."

Daniel hugged her back. "Drive safely Penelope. Let me know when you're home."

"I will." Garcia started her car, put it in gear and drove off.

"I like her a lot Daniel," Caroline told him when he returned to the car.

"Penelope is great," Daniel told his mother. He laughed. "You should have seen her when we first met."

"What do you mean?" Alex asked.

"Garcia has apparently been a fan of Daniel's for a while. She acted like a star struck teenager when she first met him. She acted all giddy and silly around him," Reid said.

"Humph…" Mark snorted.

"What?" Daniel asked his brother. "I have fans."

"You should have seen her trying to eat the first time she brought dinner to us at Daniel's house. It was like that William Holden scene from _'I Love Lucy'_ when Lucy was trying to eat spaghetti." Reid laughed as they all climbed into the car and fastened their seat belts. "Of course Daniel made it worse by smiling at her and leaning on her and putting his arm around her during the meal."

"Yes, but she's like a tiger protecting her cubs when she thinks one of them has been wronged. She got so mad at me when she thought I got Spencer in trouble with Hotch. She wouldn't even talk to me at the BAU." Daniel laughed. "I had to do some fancy talking to get her back on my side again."

"Like what?" Reid asked.

"I tried everything, and it didn't work. I finally sat on her desk and blocked her computer screen until she forgave me."

"Hunh… I didn't know all that," Reid grinned. "I guess Garcia loves me more than you Daniel."

"In your dreams Spencer!"

Reid laughed out loud as Mark started the car and pulled away from the curb. Even though he wasn't used to the traffic in the area they had decided to let Mark drive back to Daniel's house. It wasn't that far from the restaurant; however, after a few minutes Reid realized that, despite the criticism of his driving skills, Daniel was a better driver than his brother was. Reid sat in the back seat with Alex and Caroline while Daniel sat in the front passenger seat to give Mark directions. "Be afraid… Be very afraid!" Alex said in a low voice. His words earned him a smack on the shoulder from his wife.

"Jesus Mark! You just cut off that SUV! What the hell are you doing?" Daniel said.

"Get a grip Daniel! Just because I was a little close!"

"A _little _close? That's what you call a little close?"

"Daniel you are getting on my nerves!" Daniel sighed and silently thanked God the ride was almost over. When the car pulled up in front of his house Daniel was the first one out of the car. He stalked toward the house, muttering to himself how he was glad he never allowed to Mark to drive his car. "Quit being such a drama queen!" Mark called after him.

"Your driving skills provide quite a bit of room for criticism," Alex said in a sedate tone of voice. "I assure you I will be doing the driving on the way back to Delaware Mark."

Caroline sighed as she climbed out of the car. "I have to admit that was an interesting ride," she commented.

"Interesting is a good word," Reid added.

"None of you have any sense of adventure whatsoever," Mark said.

"I have faced death quite often Mark," Reid commented as he got out of the car.

"Death?"

"You say adventure, I say death defying."

"Humph…" Mark grumbled.

Reid walked into the house to see Daniel sitting at the kitchen table looking through the day's mail. He looked up. "Spencer…" As soon as Daniel saw his parents walk in behind Reid he quickly slid one envelope underneath the others and plastered a smile on his face. "Wasn't that an interesting trip?"

"I'm not sure if interesting is the word I would choose," Alex commented. Reid looked at Daniel and placed the leftovers he was carrying in the refrigerator.

"Get anything good in the mail today?" Caroline asked.

Daniel looked at his brother as he walked in the door and locked it behind him. "Renewal notice for insurance on my car, which a certain person is _never_ going to drive; electric bill; credit card offer; and a couple pieces of junk mail," Daniel answered.

"I'm going to go make a phone call," Mark announced before going out into the back yard and pulling out his cell phone.

"I need to use the ladies room," Caroline sighed, heading for the bathroom.

After his wife walked away Alex announced, "I need to look for something in my suitcase. And I'll try to keep your mother busy long enough for the two of you to discuss whatever that was you slid under the other mail."

Daniel sighed. "I never could fool you, could I dad?"

"Not in person, no. Over the phone maybe." Alex patted Daniel on the shoulder and headed for the master bedroom.

Reid sat at the table opposite Daniel. "What is it? Another letter?"

Daniel nodded and pulled the envelope out from under the others and handed it to Reid. Before taking the envelope Reid pulled on a glove and then slid the letter open and pulled out the paper inside. It contained only six words:

_Enjoy the calm while you can._

"Enjoy the calm while you can? What does that mean?" Daniel asked when Reid handed the letter over for him to read. "Is she suggesting this is the calm before the storm?"

"It's possible she is just trying to intimidate you because she knows she can't get to you," Reid responded.

Daniel sighed and massaged his temples. "What do we do now Spencer?"

"We get the letter to the F.B.I. for processing. Obviously I can't bring it in myself; therefore I will call the bureau and have them send someone to pick it up, tonight if possible. When we leave for New York City on Thursday we will be as vigilant as we can be. We're driving ourselves and staying overnight, and I don't anticipate any problems. We know what she looks like and we know what her companion looks like. Saturday and Sunday when you go to the rink I'll just make sure I can see where people are coming in and out at all times."

Daniel sighed. "One good thing about my ice time this weekend is that only I, my coach and Olivia will be around."

"That's good because we won't have a lot of other people to worry about."

"What about next Monday and Tuesday when we go to Los Angeles?"

"I'm going to think about that a little more. One possibility would be to have the Marshals meet us in Los Angeles, or we could keep it low key and just get in a car and drive ourselves to the hotel and to the studio."

"And when we go to my parents' house next Wednesday?"

"I think we will be okay with just the police patrols; however I can request help from the Marshals Service." At Daniel's sigh Reid continued. "Daniel, I really don't think this woman is going to come after you at your mother's house. There will be too many people around, including an F.B.I. agent carrying a gun. I'm not going to sit here and try to claim a stalker never went after a victim around other people, because that would be stupid. However, I don't think that will happen in this case. She wants to get you alone or at least with as few people around as possible. She's not interested in either your mother or your father, she is interested in _you_."

"Spencer, won't that make the situation at the rink this weekend less secure?"

"Not necessarily. We'll still have your coach, Olivia, and any rink employees that may be around. Plus, once your private ice time is over won't there be other people showing up?"

Daniel nodded. "Yes, the damn hockey players will be showing up. God some of those guys are a pain in the ass!" He leaned back in his chair. "What about the mail on Thursday and Friday? Should I not worry about it because it's only two days, or is there something else we should do?"

"If it's okay with you I was thinking we might ask Garcia to pick up the mail. It's only two days and I'm sure she wouldn't mind."

"I'm cool with that."

Reid grinned. "You'd have to give her a key Daniel."

Daniel chuckled. "You have a key Spencer."

"Right, but I'm not Penelope Garcia."

"You have a point there Spencer."

"Is it safe to come out now?"

Daniel turned to see his mother and father coming down the hall from his bedroom. "Yes dad, it's safe. I think we're done talking for now." He stood up and stretched. "Spencer and I were just talking about some business related to my case."

"Is everything okay?" Caroline asked.

"It's fine Caroline," Reid told her. "There is nothing for you to worry about. If you'll excuse me for a moment, I have to make a couple phone calls." Reid stood up and then went out into the back yard just as Mark was walking back in. He flipped open his cell phone and dialed the number for the F.B.I. Crime Laboratory.

/\/\/\/\


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: **See my profile!

**/\/\/\/\**

'_**A Force of Nature: Part II'**_

Chapter Twenty-Two

**/\/\/\/\**

"How are things in Florida?"

Morgan laughed. "Hot and humid kid," Morgan answered.

"The east coast is in the middle of a heat wave up here," Reid commented. "It's rather hot right now."

"You're from Vegas, kid. You ought to be used to it."

"I didn't say it was bothering me, Morgan. Vegas is usually a dry heat though; this heat wave is anything but dry heat."

"I'm telling you it's like a steam bath down here. How are things going with Daniel?"

"We had a nice dinner Tuesday night with Garcia at Spinelli's."

"Ah! Celeste and Leo!" Morgan said.

"Yes, they were very happy to see me and meet the others; and Garcia and Daniel and his family just loved them and the food. We got back to Daniel's house and he had another letter. This one just said 'Enjoy the calm while you can.' I had Anderson bring the letter over to the Crime Lab for processing. They did lift DNA off the seal, which they are now analyzing. However, we already know they're not in the system."

"More evidence against them when we do catch them."

"I know. Anyway, we went to the rink Wednesday morning because Daniel's family hadn't seen him skate since Vancouver and that was kind of fun. I do sense some tension between Daniel and Mark, but they're brothers and I guess that happens sometimes. Garcia agreed to pick up Daniel's mail while we are in New York, and next week when we head back to Los Angeles. Alex, Caroline and Mark went back to Delaware yesterday afternoon, and Daniel and I arrived in New York City an hour ago. Right now he's in our suite's bathroom taking a shower."

"Not the Trump International this time?" Morgan joked.

"No, the Milford Plaza," Reid smiled.

"Still a pretty good deal. How is Daniel doing?"

Reid shrugged even though Morgan couldn't see it. "Okay. He does seem a little down again. I don't know if it's his family leaving, getting the note or the fact he's going to be talking about his stabbing again in a couple hours on Nancy Grace. He hasn't talked to me much since his family left."

"Hmm. How are you feeling?"

"Okay. I'm a little tired. I was up a little later than I expected last night talking on the phone."

Morgan perked up. "Oh? And who were we talking to in our late night conversation? The lovely Karyn?"

Reid sighed. "Morgan, reel in your antenna. You are as bad as Garcia, I swear! Yes, I was talking to 'the lovely Karyn' as you so eloquently put it."

"Talking about what?"

Despite the fact Morgan was eleven hundred miles away in Orlando, Reid actually blushed. "None of your business Morgan! Never mind that anyway. How is your case going?"

"A bit rough. Thanks for your help with the geographic profile, by the way. Did you know Tabu; the club owned by Howie Dorough of the Backstreet Boys is right in the middle of it?"

"Yes, I knew that. Garcia would freak if she knew. She loves the Backstreet Boys," Reid responded.

"She does?"

"Yes Morgan. Geez, I thought you knew everything about Garcia!"

"Not everything, no."

"Obviously."

"Quiet kid! Anyway, I was in Tabu and a couple other clubs in the area last night. Howie wasn't there, but his brother and one of the bouncers thought they recognized two of the victims as partiers they refused entry to last Saturday because they were already intoxicated. The doorman at another of the clubs I went to thinks he kicked the same two girls out earlier that evening for rude behavior due to intoxication. It looks like your geographic profile is right on, which is no surprise, I suppose."

Reid ignored the last part of Morgan's comment. "So the two victims likely met the UnSub sometime during their night of partying?"

"It's entirely possible."

"No one at any of the clubs recognized the other victims?"

Morgan sighed. "No kid; but you know how packed some clubs can get. Sometimes patrons have to really stand out for the employees to recognize them later. Enough about our case. Tell me more about Karyn."

"Sorry Morgan! Here comes Daniel! Good luck with the case. Good-bye." Reid disconnected before Morgan could say another word. Reid looked up as Daniel walked into the room with impeccable timing. He really didn't want to discuss Karyn with Morgan right now. Between him and Garcia it was next to impossible for him to keep anything about his personal life private; however sometimes he simply had to make the attempt.

"Everything okay?" Reid asked Daniel.

"Of course, why wouldn't everything be okay?" Daniel responded. Reid looked at him but didn't say anything else. Daniel sat down on the sofa their suite offered and sighed. "I'm sorry Spencer. I didn't mean to be snippy."

"It's okay Daniel. I understand you're a little tense over this interview."

Daniel sighed. "I actually tried to talk myself into cancelling a couple times. Then I talked myself out of talking myself into cancelling."

Reid chuckled. "Okay."

"Why couldn't we have done this from a remote location or something? Nancy Grace does that all the time! I wouldn't have had to come and talk about it in person like this!" Daniel shook his head. "So how is the case going down in Florida? I know you can't tell me everything."

Reid didn't even blink at Daniel's rapid change of the subject matter. "Morgan believes he has identified two of the victims as having been at two different clubs on the same night in an area within my geographic profile. Other than that they're still talking to people; he says it's a little rough."

"I couldn't do what you and your team do on a regular basis."

"It's not easy being in law enforcement. Thanks for coming out of the bathroom just when you did, by the way."

Daniel looked at him with a puzzled expression on his face. "You're welcome. Uh, why?"

"Morgan was trying to wheedle information about my conversation with Karyn out of me. I told him he was as bad as Garcia and to reel in his antenna."

Daniel laughed out loud. "That is too funny Spencer!" He stood up. "Shall we grab something to eat before we head to the studio?"

"Sure, just give me a few minutes to finish getting ready."

/\

Daniel groaned. "Spencer I think I should have waited until after the show to eat. Now I feel sick!"

"Daniel calm down, it's just a case of nerves."

"Spencer I have done dozens of interviews over the years. Why is this suddenly such a big deal?"

"You've never really talked about being stabbed before. Of course you mentioned it on the shows you've done so far, but you're going to talk about it in detail today. And so far the only person you've done that with is me."

"Mr. Meier?" Daniel turned around to see one of Nancy Grace's producers standing behind him. "We're ready for you now."

"Thank you." Reid followed as the producer led Daniel toward the studio. They had been introduced to Nancy Grace when they first arrived. Reid knew who she was through reading her book and occasionally watching her show on Headline News; and he knew she had lost her then fiancé to homicide a number of years previous. He stopped beside one of the camera operators and watched as Nancy completed the segment she was in the middle of and then introduced Daniel.

Nancy looked directly at Daniel as they talked. "How long have you had this stalker Daniel?"

"I have had ongoing problems with stalkers going back several years to 2004. The letters the F.B.I. attributes to my attacker go back at least four months. They were all mailed from zip code 60611, which is in Chicago."

"You're under protection from the F.B.I. at this point in time?"

"Yes, I have an agent with me here at the studio today."

"Yes, we met when you first arrived at the studio. Can we talk about your attack? Are you able to do that?"

Daniel nodded nervously. His hands twitched and his fingers nervously tapped on the desk. Nancy reached across the desk and clasped his hands in hers as he began talking. "After the Dolby Carriol case was wrapped, I dropped my federal protection even though I was entitled to keep it due to my stalker case being federal also. A couple days later I was coming out of a CVS drugstore and this man grabbed me from behind and pinned my arms. The female suspect started stabbing me with some kind of knife." He stopped momentarily.

"It's okay, take as long as you need," Nancy told him.

"It's been a couple weeks now, I feel kind of silly reacting this way."

"Daniel, you're a _victim_. You don't get over an attack like that in a few days."

Daniel nodded. "I suffered seven stab wounds, and it likely would have been much worse if someone hadn't come around the corner from the store and scared my attackers off."

Reid watched from his spot next to the camera operator as Nancy held up sketches of both suspects and talked to Daniel for a few more minutes. The entire time he had been describing the attack on him she had not let go of his hands. When the segment was finished she thanked Daniel and asked the audience to come back for her next segment. Once the show had gone to a commercial Nancy hugged Daniel and thanked him again for coming to the show.

A few minutes later Reid and Daniel were sitting in the Green Room. "I can't believe how nervous I was. I was shaking like a leaf Spencer," Daniel said.

"I could tell. Ms. Grace seemed to understand how nervous you were."

"Yes, she's great with victims on her show." He stood up. "As nice as they all were here, I'm ready to leave Spencer."

"Let's go then."

Daniel decided he wanted to go straight back to their hotel. He really did not feel like going out anywhere, even though they were back in New York City. The meal they had eaten before going to the studio had been a late lunch, and instead of going out to dinner they chose to order in. After finishing his room service dinner Daniel opened his laptop and began working on the book he was writing. Reid opened his own laptop and began working on an article he was writing for _Discover_ magazine. The two men worked on their separate pursuits for approximately forty five minutes before Reid's cell phone rang.

"Hey Garcia. … Okay, thanks. I will. … Talk to you tomorrow then. Bye." He closed his phone and looked at Daniel. "Garcia said she picked up your mail. No letters, no bills, just a couple of ads and two pieces of junk mail."

"She didn't want to talk to me? I'm disappointed," Daniel pouted.

Reid laughed. "Hotch has her looking up some information right now, which is why she's still at the BAU. I'm sure you'll hear from her later."

"I'm kidding Spencer."

Reid grinned. "I know you are."

"I wouldn't mind hearing from her happy smiling self actually. I could use the pick me up." Just then Daniel's cell phone rang. He looked at the Caller I.D. display. "I don't recognize the number… Hello? … Oh, hi. … No, I'm fine. I was a little tense. Thank you for asking. … Sure, I would consider it. Let me know when and I will see what I can do. … Actually no, I didn't watch the show. I set my DVD recorder at home to record it. I'll watch it in a couple days when I feel up to it. … Thank you Nancy. You have a good night also."

"Was that Nancy Grace?" Reid asked.

"Yes, she asked me if I was okay; and then asked me if I had watched the show tonight. I don't really like watching myself anyway, but I just couldn't watch myself talking about being stabbed seven times."

"I get it Daniel. I didn't even ask you if you wanted to watch it."

"I noticed. Thank you for not pushing me on any of this Spencer. Anyway, she also asked if I might be willing to participate in a round table discussion on crime victims she is trying to put together. That's what I was referring to when I told her I would consider it. She wants to do it as a one hour special on television, and is trying to line up guests and a date right now."

"You really want to do that?"

"I don't know. I was so nervous today. I know that talking to you has helped me a lot. And Hotch did suggest talking to other victims might be helpful to me. I guess I should at least think about it."

"You can always tell her no later if you don't think you can handle it."

Daniel nodded. "I know." He yawned, and then laughed afterward. "That was unexpected. I think I'll save what I've been working on and go take a shower." He saved his work and then shut down his laptop. He plugged his phone into its charger and yawned again. "Why the hell am I yawning? It's ten p.m. for crying out loud!"

Reid laughed. "Don't forget we drove up here this morning, and you're under a lot of emotional stress."

"I guess. Can you let me know if anyone calls please?"

"Do you want me to answer it?"

Daniel shrugged. "You can, but you don't have to."

Forty-five minutes later Daniel came out of the bathroom with his damp hair slicked back and wearing a tee shirt and flannel pajama bottoms. Reid was still curled up on the sofa with his laptop open. "Hey," he said. "Your mom called to say good night, Garcia also called, and you received three text messages I didn't look at."

"Thanks Spencer. I'll call my mom and Penelope back." He unplugged the charger and picked up his laptop. "I'm going to try and grab some sleep. I'll see you in the morning. Good night Spencer."

"Good night Daniel."

/\

"Where should we have dinner tonight?" Reid asked the next day as they headed to the studio in a taxi for Daniel's appearance on _Paula's Party_.

"I'm going on a cooking show. I might not even want to eat."

"That's right. I forgot about that!"

Once they arrived at the studio they felt right at home. Paula Deen's assistant met them personally and escorted them to the show's Green Room. She informed Reid they had a spot backstage where he could keep an eye on Daniel without having the live audience or cameras get in the way. Once she had left Daniel sat down on a couch and stretched his legs. "I watched a few episodes of Ms. Deen's show once I heard you were going to be on. I wonder if she is really the way she is on the show."

"As far as I know yes," Daniel answered. "She likes to hug people, she's very friendly, she's charming and she laughs a lot."

Thirty minutes later both men were laughing as they observed Paula Deen interacting with her audience while cooking in the studio kitchen. "I think she and my mother would get along great," Daniel told Reid.

"You're probably right."

"Five minutes Mr. Meier," a production assistant told Daniel.

"Every time someone refers to me as 'Mr. Meier' I feel like my father," Daniel said.

"No one ever calls me Mr. Reid," Reid responded.

Daniel looked at him. "No, you get 'Dr. Reid', or 'Agent Reid'."

"Or just Reid."

"Or Spence."

"Only if it's JJ talking to me."

"Two minutes Mr. Meier."

"Okay, I'm ready."

A couple minutes later they watched as Daniel's turn to be introduced came up. "I would like to introduce my next guest. He is a three-time U.S. Figure Skating Champion and an Olympic Silver Medalist. Please welcome Daniel Meier." Daniel walked out to applause and was immediately given a hug by Paula. "I'm so glad you are okay honey," she told him.

"So am I," he answered.

"Do you cook at home?"

"I do sometimes."

"Today you are helping me make stuffed pork chops and roasted potatoes." She looked at Daniel. "Honey, it wouldn't hurt you to eat an extra helping."

Daniel laughed along with the audience. "You sound like my mother," he quipped, eliciting a laugh from Paula and more laughing from the audience.

"So honey, I understand you have a federal agent here with you?"

"Yes, he is standing off to the side backstage," Daniel answered, pointing in Reid's direction.

Paula looked over at Reid. "Oh honey, _you_ definitely need a second helping," she teased.

Reid blushed a little as most of the audience looked in his direction and tried to see him. Most of them could not see him due to his location. "I'm embarrassed now," he told the production assistant.

"Don't be," he laughed. "She just loves people."

"I think I get that." He watched Paula and Daniel interact for a few minutes. Paula asked Daniel about his book and his upcoming skating show as well as _America's Most Wanted_. She told him she loved John Walsh, and never minded watching him, gaining her more laughs from the audience. "It amazes me with all the laughing and teasing she can actually accomplish so much."

The assistant nodded. "That's what a lot of people think. There are occasions she doesn't finish in time and we go over and have to edit a little more for time. But she has fun, and that's one of the things her audience loves most about her show." Once Daniel and Paula were finished with their two dishes, they did what Paula always did on her show and offered samples to the audience. Reid had known about this part of the show beforehand, and had considered asking Daniel to not take part; but had changed his mind and decided to watch him carefully when he walked into the audience with Paula. He stepped out from behind his vantage point and carefully watched Daniel as he offered samples to audience members and spoke to a few of them. Although certainly many people in the audience knew who Daniel was, most of them had come to see Paula Deen, which Reid believed made his job easier. After a few minutes talking to members of the audience Daniel walked over to Reid and said, "I'm sorry Spencer. I don't have any samples left."

"That's okay Daniel. I'm not here to eat; I'm here to protect you."

Daniel looked at him. "Okay, like I didn't know that."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Incorrect reaction. Gee, that's terrible Daniel. All that food and you couldn't even save me a piece."

"Very funny Spencer. How many times now have I told you sarcasm is not your forte?"

"Not as many times as Morgan has."

"There you are honey!" Both men turned around at the sound of Paula Deen's voice. "Can I meet your good-looking F.B.I. agent friend?"

Reid could not help blushing at her words. "Paula Deen, this is SSA Spencer Reid. Spencer, meet Miss Paula Deen, wonderful cook, mother, wife, television star and Miss U.S.A. judge."

"Nice to meet you Miss Deen," Reid smiled.

"You as well, Agent Reid. I can see you are taking good care of Daniel here."

"I'm doing my best ma'am."

"Ma'am? No one calls me ma'am unless it's behind my back."

Reid smiled. "I apologize for calling you ma'am."

"That's better honey." She looked at Daniel. "Thank you for coming on the show. Maybe you can come back again and bring your parents. You take care of yourself and stay safe."

"I will Paula, thank you."

"You also young man," she told Reid.

"Of course. You take care also." Paula hugged both of them before leaving to join her staff in preparations for their next show.

After gathering their things from the Green Room Daniel said, "All that cooking has made me hungry. What would you like to do for dinner tonight?"

"We're in New York City. That means the possibilities are practically endless. We do have to consider security, however."

Daniel sighed. "I know. If I remember rightly there is an Indian place few blocks away. What do you think?"

"I could go for Indian cuisine. Do you know the number or the name to look it up? I'd like to call ahead."

Daniel pulled out his Blackberry. "I don't remember the name; however if I look up Indian restaurants in the area eventually I'll come across it. Seeing the name of it will hopefully click in my mind."

Reid laughed. "Okay, let's do that then." They headed for the door as Daniel looked through restaurant listings on his phone. 

**/\/\/\/\**

**A/N:** I literally (in the last couple of days) have had two of the worst days on line I have ever in the sixteen years I've been accessing the Internet. I can't even begin to describe the lunacy I've encountered. Anyway, this story is nearing the end. Time wise in the story there is at least two weeks left, and that will take several chapters, though I'm not sure yet how many.


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: **This chapter ends with the characters talking about an issue that is important to me. After I write this chapter I am going to work on a Blog regarding that very subject. The Blog will be linked to this chapter. I will post a link here to the Blog once I have it posted, and I hope you will all go over and read it.

**Disclaimer: **See my profile!

/\/\/\/\

'_A Force of Nature: Part II'_

Chapter Twenty-Three

/\/\/\/\

"Wake up Daniel! Up and at 'em! Time to get up," Reid called from outside Daniel's door.

"Don't want to…" came the muffled voice from inside the room.

"Daniel, I know it's early; and I know we got back from New York late last night, but you told me to make sure you were up to get to the rink today by ten."

For a couple minutes there was silence, and then the door opened. Reid tried hard to suppress his smile at Daniel's disheveled appearance. "Spencer, _must _you actually remember and _do _everything I say?"

"Yes Daniel, I must. After all I have…"

"An eidetic memory! Yes, I know Spencer! I'm going to hop in the shower. I'll be ready in a few minutes. Well, maybe twenty minutes or so…"

Twenty minutes later Daniel came walking out of his bedroom fully dressed, yawning and carrying his skate bag. "Are we fully awake not?" Reid asked.

Daniel glared at him. "Very funny Spencer. Ha, ha!"

Reid stifled a chuckle. "Daniel, you are the one who decided to come back here after we ate dinner last night instead of waiting until this morning."

"If we had waited until this morning we would have had to drive back and go straight to the rink. Either way I would have been tired."

"Why not do your private ice time later in the day then?"

Daniel sighed. "This was the only time available today." He sighed again. "I found out Olivia isn't going to make it to the rink today, by the way. Let's get going Spencer.

"Aren't you going to eat some breakfast? And don't tell me you need to lose weight Daniel."

"I do and I don't have time."

"Okay, so we will stop at McDonald's or something."

"Spencer…" Daniel looked at Reid's face and decided not to argue the point any further. Once the two men were in Daniel's care Reid told him to pull into the drive-thru of the first McDonald's they saw to buy breakfast. Daniel grumbled a little, but did what Reid said, and in a few minutes both men had coffee, orange juice and breakfast in the car with them. "That sausage is going to sit in my stomach like a lump," Daniel complained.

"No one forced you to order something with sausage," Reid said before biting into a hash brown. "There are things on the menu without sausage."

"Humph!"

Once the two men arrived at Daniel's training rink in Rockville, Reid checked out the entire parking lot before allowing Daniel to exit his car. He then did the same with the inside of the building before allowing Daniel to enter the dressing room area. Daniel signed once he was inside and dropped his skate bag on a bench. "I will be so glad when this is all over and I only have to be normally cautious and not overly cautious." He paused for a moment. "Although I'm fairly certain I will never feel normal again."

"I'm sorry Daniel, really I am."

"Spencer, stop saying that! You aren't the one who should be apologizing, my stalker is."

"That is true, however I still feel bad when I see how upended a victim's life gets. I'll wait outside the door while you get ready."

"Why? I'm already dressed. I just need to put my skates and my gloves on."

Reid shrugged. "Okay," he said, sitting down on the other end of the bench. He watched Daniel's ritual with curiosity. First he put bandages on several of his toes, then he wrapped both ankles with an Ace bandage, and then he pulled a sock over his foot. He then placed another sock over the first one. He then pulled a third pair of socks on and pulled the end of it over the bottom of his pants before pulling his skates on and lacing them up. "You go through that entire process every time you skate?"

"Yes." Daniel reached into his bag and pulled out a pair of black gloves. "When I was younger and less experienced it took me a lot longer. Now I can lace my skates with my eyes closed if I need to."

"I had no idea you had to do all that with the bandages and the wrap."

"You don't. It just helps to protect your feet and your ankles."

"Why three pair of socks? Why not a thick pair of woolen socks or something?"

"You can do that; however I prefer to do it this way. I do sometimes put a thicker pair of socks on." He pulled a long sleeve shirt on over his tee shirt and then pulled on the black gloves. "Okay I'm ready."

Once Daniel was out on the ice Reid found a position along one side of the rink where he could keep his eyes on the front door and still watch Daniel as well. There was also a back door used mainly by rink employees, and while he couldn't see that door directly, he could see anyone that walked through it almost immediately. He settled down hoping the day would be uneventful. In the few weeks since he had first met Daniel Reid had only been to the rink twice. The first time had been when he and Morgan had brought Garcia to the rink to meet Daniel; and the second had been when he had skated with Karyn with Olivia's help. Reid signed when he thought of Karyn. He had only known her for a few weeks, but he liked her a lot. Unfortunately, with his being on what amounted to twenty four hour duty with Daniel he had had very little time to even talk to her, and no time to spend with her. They've only been on a couple of dates, though the skating date had ended pleasantly with a make out session on Reid's couch. Karyn had wanted more, but Reid had been due at Daniel's house in a couple hours and hadn't wanted to rush things. A disappointed Karyn had teasingly told him she would 'make him pay' for forcing her to wait, and Reid could only imagine what she had meant by that. He knew he was neglecting the first relationship he had had since his breakup with Austin; however there wasn't much he could do about it at his point in time. He sighed and then looked at his watch. He glanced out at Daniel stroking around the rink and decided it was safe to give Karyn a call.

Daniel stroked around the ice at a high rate of speed. He loved the rush he felt from being on the ice alone and simply skating around and even jumping when no one was watching or critiquing what he was doing. It was even better when he was able to skate alone on an outdoor surface, and it was very seldom he was able to do that. At times like this he would start to feel melancholy and remember the carefree days he spend as young boy skating on the pond behind his uncle's house that froze over every winter. It was almost a cliché, the pictures he kept in his mind of his carefree youth; but at the same time it was also the truth. His mind would wander and he would wonder once more shat his life would be like right now if his parents had never indulged him with the skating lessons he had asked for; if his first coach had not pulled him from the group lesson and offered to take him on as a student; if he hadn't switched to his high-powered Russian coach three years ago… What would he be doing now? Where would he be?

"Hold on a second," Reid told Karyn when he saw the front door open. He relaxed when the recognized the woman who walked in as Daniel's coach Lina. Right behind her came two other people he assumed were rink employees, but he wasn't certain. "Karyn I need to go; there are people coming into the building and I need to be a little more vigilant."

"_Okay Spencer. I have some errands to run anyway. Call me tonight, okay?"_

"I will. Have a good day."

"_I will Spencer. You and Daniel stay safe! Bye."_

"Good bye Karyn." Reid hung up the phone and put it back into the leather holder hooked to his belt. He watched carefully as the two young men who had walked in behind Lina waved to Daniel and then headed for the small shop at the other end of the rink where skates were rented out and sold. He relaxed and stood up as Lina came toward him.

"Agent Reid, how are you this morning?"

"I'm just fine Ms. Stilenko. I'm surprised you remember me; we have only met twice," he smiled.

"I never forget face, especially cute face," she teased.

Reid tried to hide his smile. "Why thank you Ms. Stilenko. I never forget a pretty face such as yours either."

"Humph! You sound same as Agent Morgan!"

"Morgan is sincere, as I am," Reid said with a smile.

"Ha! Two handsome young men tell me I am pretty. Yes, I believe you!" She smiled as she walked past him, and then turned around. "Please, I am Lina. No one call me Ms. Stilenko."

"You've been hanging around Morgan too long." Reid turned around to see Daniel leaning on the railing beside the rink watching him.

"What do you mean?"

"Trying to charm Lina. Morgan tries to charm her also."

"When Morgan _tries _to charm someone he usually succeeds. Besides, your coach is pretty. She must really have been something when she was younger."

Daniel nodded. "She was actually. When she was competing as a pairs skater she was quite beautiful."

A few minutes later when Linda came out of the dressing room with skates on Daniel was still leaning on the rail talking to Reid. "Back to work!" she scolded Daniel. "No more play, no more talk! Private ice only until noon, so we have to work now before more skaters come."

Daniel rolled his eyes. "Yes Lina."

"We work on _Here I Go Again. _I do not like how split jump look. Have you been stretching when no skating?

"Yes Lina."

Lina asked Daniel a few more questions, all of which she received the answer 'Yes Lina' to. Finally she glared at Daniel and said, "Do not say 'yes Lina'! Show me, I do not believe you!"

Daniel sighed. "Over three years and you don't trust me?"

"No. Do run through! Show me!"

Daniel looked over at Reid who was trying to hide a grin. He made a face at him and then skated out to the center of the ice while Lina set up the music for him. He had barely started before Lina told him to stop because she wasn't satisfied with the split that was his opening move. Daniel replied he was not a fourteen year old gymnast and Lina retorted he should do it right or not at all. She then restarted the music. Every time Daniel did a move not to her satisfaction she stopped the music and made him start over. At around eleven a.m. she declared she needed to make a phone call and left the ice. Daniel skated over to Reid and said, "This is all Penelope's fault. Those damn splits were her idea."

Reid laughed. "She didn't force you to do them. Besides you haven't been stretching. You fibbed about that."

"I've been stretching in my room at night. You don't know everything Spencer."

"Really? For how long?"

"Not long enough obviously," Daniel commented. Both men turned around as they heard the front door open. "Penelope!" Daniel called out enthusiastically as Garcia walked in.

"Hi Sugar! I decided to come by and watch you skate for a while on my way to see Kevin."

"Isn't this a little out of your way?" Reid asked.

"Quiet! Is your name Morgan or something?"

Reid fought back a smile. "No, I was just asking."

"How much time do you have left honey?" Garcia asked Daniel.

"Private ice ends at noon when the kids show up for group lessons; and the hockey players show up at four. I'll probably hang around until around one and skate with the kids a while. It's fun skating around with them; and I try to avoid the damn hockey players as much as possible."

"Do they bother you that much?" Garcia asked.

Daniel shrugged. "Some of them are okay. The rest…just dumb comments and hand gestures, that sort of thing."

"What kind of comments Daniel?" Reid asked.

Daniel looked directly at him. "Some people are of the incorrect opinion all male figure skaters are gay. Some _are _gay, many are not. The hockey players are jocks; therefore what kind of comments do you _think _they make?"

"People are really ignorant sometimes," Garcia commented. She reached over and hugged Daniel tightly. "I am so sorry you have to deal with that honey!"

Daniel hugged her back and then sighed again. "It's okay Penelope. It's a lot worse for the ones who really are gay. I don't know how they can deal with all the slurs and even the violence that gets hurled at them on a regular basis."

Reid shook his head. "Neither do I. There are enough people out there who have suggested I'm gay that I do somewhat understand how you feel."

Daniel shook his head. "It's not like it's something offensive to be gay; because it's not offensive. It's not like it's something you can control either. I've been dealing with it for years now, and I still just don't understand people sometimes."

"I don't either," Garcia added.

"Why so unhappy?" Lina asked as she walked back up to them.

"We were discussing the hockey players," Daniel told her.

"Oh… Why you let them bother you? Ignore them! You are better than them! They are jealous of you!"

Daniel gave her a weak smile. "I try Lina, I really do."

Lina patted his shoulder. "I know Daniel. Go back on ice and show everyone how good you are!"

Daniel smiled and kissed her on the cheek. "I love you Lina!"

Lina waved her hand. "You know I love you also, so go to skate!" Daniel laughed; quickly hugged Lina, and then Garcia again and skated back out on to the ice. Lina started the music once more, and Reid and Garcia sat down to watch.

/\/\/\/\

8


	24. Chapter 24My Blog With Link

**Author's Note Two**: I am reposting this because I reposted the Blog I linked to. No major changes, just a little more description and I added a picture and an embedded video. I hope you will go check it out if you haven't already.

**Author's Note**: As you can see, this is not an actual chapter, but rather it is the link to the Blog I told you about in Chapter Twenty-Three. I can't post the actual Blog here because it is quite long, and it has pictures, a video and way too many links. I really hope you all will consider reading the entire Blog, but if you don't wish to, near the end is the part where I explain the hockey player thing… There are also some links to videos that you might also find interesting, and are related to the Blog.

'_**A Force of Nature: Part II'**_

_**Chapter Twenty-Four**_

_**Links to Blog 'Unfortunately It's All About Hate and Ignorance…'**_

http:/ wheresmykoppy .blogspot .com /2010 /08 /unfortunately-its-all-about-hate-and .html

Remember, to make this link work you have to eliminate the spaces. The link has also been put on my author profile, and if you click on it you will be taken directly to my Blog 'Unfortunately It's All About Hate And Ignorance…'

See you all with the next chapter!


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer: ** See my profile.

/\/\/\/\

'_**A Force of Nature: Part II'**_

Chapter Twenty-Five

/\/\/\/\

"What are they going to do about it? Will they accept the plea?"

Daniel walked out of his bedroom and saw Reid on the phone. "What's up?" he asked.

Reid held up his index finger indicating he would be a minute. "Okay thanks. Please keep me posted." Once he had disconnected he looked at Daniel. "It looks like Douglas Hyde is seeking a deal with the U.S. Attorney. He's offering to testify against Carriol in exchange for lesser charges and a possible lighter sentence."

"Are they going to make a deal?"

Reid shrugged. "I'm not sure. The truth is we have both of them cold when it comes to attempted kidnapping on your part; and of course you can also testify Carriol more or less confessed in front of you. As far as the murders themselves, Hyde's testimony would certainly be helpful. They might even be able to convince Carriol and his attorneys to accept a plea deal and avoid a trial altogether."

"Would I still have to testify?" Daniel asked.

"If we avoid a trial altogether you and the relatives of the victims killed, along with the ones threatened would only have to worry about impact statements during a penalty phase. If they also agree on sentencing you might even avoid that."

Daniel shook his head. "I'd love to avoid a trial; however I don't want to see either of them gert off too easily."

"I don't think they will Daniel. There's too much evidence. The U.S. Attorney's office now has phone records as well as evidence of entering and leaving the United States several times using a false passport, among other things."

"Carriol has a pretty long reach, doesn't he? This guy Hyde isn't concerned someone will come after him if he turns witness?"

Reid shrugged. "I thought about that myself. Apparently he's more interested in spending less time in prison than he is in worrying about what Carriol will do."

"Carriol is still in the hospital anyway."

"He's in stable condition; but he isn't going any place any time soon. Bail for both of them has been denied."

"Carriol has money Spencer. No bail is a good idea because he won't be able to flee again."

Reid looked at his watch. "Are you all set Daniel? We really need to head for the airport."

Daniel nodded. "Yes, I'm already." The two men carried their luggage out to Daniel's car and loaded it in the back. As Daniel had informed his brother a few days earlier, he had changed his tickets so he could make a quick stopover in Arizona to meet Mark's girlfriend. They would land at Sky Harbor Airport where Mark and his girlfriend would meet them, and then they would all have lunch at a nearby restaurant. Once they finished they would be back on the plane to Los Angeles where they would land with just enough time to check in at their hotel before going to the studio to tape Daniel's rescheduled appearance on _The George Lopez Show_. The next day, which was Tuesday, Daniel had an afternoon taping of _The Bonnie Hunt Show_; and once that was finished they would head for a local ice rink where they were meeting Daniel's friends Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto for dinner. The two ice dancers were taking part in a skating seminar for local skaters, and the timing, though short, had been good for them to get together. Wednesday morning they were flying back east; however instead of going home they would be driving to Delaware so Daniel could spend some time at his parents' house. They would be staying with Caroline and Alex Wednesday and Thursday night; and then return to Daniel's house late Friday evening. Saturday was the broadcast of _America's Most Wanted_; and Reid would be in the studio with John Walsh while Daniel had agreed to answer phones for the show's hotline. They definitely had a full schedule ahead of them.

As the two men climbed into the car and fastened their seat belts Reid said, "It was fun watching you skate with those kids the last couple of days. You really seem to have enjoyed it."

Daniel smiled. "I love skating with young skaters. They're adorable."

Reid laughed as Daniel started the car and pulled away from the curb. "It was cute how the little ones were so excited you were there. You're a big hero to them Daniel."

Daniel smiled. "I don't know about being a hero; but it's nice for them to have someone to look up to who tries to set a good example for them. And I _do_ try Spencer!"

"I know you do Daniel."

Daniel sighed. "I hope to have a couple kids of my own someday."

"Will they be skaters?"

Daniel shrugged. "I have no idea Spencer. I'm not sure if I even want them to be. There are so many rewards, but so much bullshit and heartbreak to go along with it."

Reid nodded, but didn't say anything as Daniel headed for Washington National Airport. He thought briefly about some of the 'bullshit' Daniel had told him about. Saturday afternoon Daniel had stayed at the rink skating around with the young skaters longer than he had originally planned. It was nearly three p.m. when he had finally left the ice, much to the children's disappointment. By the time he had been ready to leave it had been well after three p.m., and some of the hockey players he had described were wandering into the building. Garcia had been upset upon being told some of them had not only taunted him in the past, but had also been known to shoot hockey pucks at him if they happened to be on the ice at the same time. Daniel had reported he would calmly jump over them and go about his business. Sunday they had left before any of them had arrived, but Saturday most of the team had been hanging around the rink when Daniel left the dressing room. As he walked past a group of them waiting to go out on the ice of a couple of them had snickered and started whispering to each other, but nothing had been said out loud to him. Garcia had been ready to pummel anyone who gave Daniel a hard time, and Reid would have been happy to back her up. Thankfully Daniel had ignored the whispers and nothing else had happened. Once outside, as Garcia climbed into her car she told Daniel she was going to make him a sign that said** 'I'm an Olympic Silver Medalist and You're Not! Drop Dead!'** to show to the hockey players. Daniel had laughed out loud and hugged her tightly before she left.

/\

"What does your brother's girlfriend look like?" Reid asked as they walked from their arrival gate toward baggage claim. They didn't need to claim their luggage sine it would be put on the connecting flight to Los Angeles automatically; however Reid had had to check his weapon as he always did. Since they were leaving the airport grounds he was claiming his weapon and taking it with him.

"I don't know Spencer. I've never even seen a picture of her. All I know is her name is Jennifer Dalton, and she plays volleyball at ASU."

A few minutes later the two men had claimed the case Reid's weapon was in and were looking for Mark and his girlfriend. "There they are," Reid said, pointing to the couple standing a few yards away.

Daniel looked and saw his brother standing next to a tall, pretty, dark haired young woman. He laughed. "Mark is 5'8" and she is as tall as he is."

"At least," Reid grinned.

"Mark!" Daniel called out. His brother turned and spotted him and Reid. "You're standing in front of the wrong carousel," he teased as they approached each other.

"Obviously." Mark turned to the young lady standing next to him. "Jennifer, this is my older brother Daniel Meier; and this is F.B.I. Agent Spencer Reid. This is my girlfriend Jennifer Dalton."

"Nice to meet you Miss Dalton," Reid said.

"Nice to meet you Jennifer," Daniel smiled.

Jennifer giggled. "Nice to meet you," she said bashfully to Daniel. "Hello Agent Reid."

"So Jennifer, where will we be having lunch today?" Daniel asked. Her only response was to giggle. "Uh, do you like ASU?" He received more giggles. Reid couldn't help smiling at the obviously star struck young woman. As Mark indicated they should start walking, Daniel tried again. "So, how did you and my brother meet?" Still more giggles.

"Excuse us a moment," Mark said. He pulled his girlfriend away from Daniel and Reid. They could barely hear what they were saying. "I told you…he's my brother. Stop acting like he's a celebrity. Act like he's my brother. Act normal, okay?"

"I am acting normal!"

"You are not! You're acting all-star struck!"

"He _is_ a celebrity you know!"

"You don't have to treat him like one! Now come on, let's try to not act crazy! He doesn't like people treating him like he's something special."

The rest of the walk to Mark's car resulted in a little more giggling on the part of Jennifer, but she gradually relaxed in Daniel's company and became more comfortable. Their lunch at a nearby Mexican restaurant was a lot of fun. Daniel managed to get Jennifer to tell him not only how she met Mark, but also why she started playing volleyball, and why she picked ASU over the four other schools she had scholarship offers from. However, when Reid mentioned Morgan's remark about ASU being a 'big party school' she dissolved into a fit of giggles again. Mark sighed and rolled his eyes. She then stuck her tongue out at him. "I'm only nineteen," she said. "I can giggle like a teenager if I want to."

"Okay," Mark said. "You have a point." He looked at his watch. "We might want to think about getting going since you two are going to have to check back in." He signaled to their waiter to bring the check, and then reached into his pocket for his wallet. When the waiter set the check down on the table Daniel reached for it, but Mark pushed his hand away. "My treat," he said. "You always pay when we're together. I want to take care of it."

Daniel smiled. "Okay Mark. No problem."

Mark handed the waiter a credit card, and once he had signed the slip the four of them stood up to leave. "Do you think a twenty percent tip was okay?" Mark asked his brother.

"That's a good amount. He was a good waiter," Daniel replied.

The three men stood waiting by the restaurant's front door while Jennifer used the ladies room. "Do you like her?" Mark asked.

"Yes, I like her a lot."

"She seems very nice," Reid added.

"She is nice," Mark said. He looked at his brother. "I'm really glad you like her. It's important to me. I do value your opinion, Daniel. I know you doubt that sometimes…"

Daniel smiled. "I do like her, and I'm glad you care what I think. However, I'm not the one dating her Mark, _you_ are. Therefore your opinion is the only one that really matters."

"I think she was concerned because she's black."

"Mark I can't think of much I care about less in a person than what color their skin is."

"I know, I know. It's just, well, people are funny sometimes." He chuckled. "I think that went out the door anyway about thirty seconds after she met you."

"I'm back! Have you been talking about me behind my back?" Jennifer teased.

"Why do you ask? Are your ears burning?" Mark joked.

"No, just itching a little."

Daniel laughed. "You two are hilarious," he joked.

Fifteen minutes later they were pulling up to the curb in front of the terminal at the airport. "We can't go up the gate anyway, so we'll just drop you off here instead of parking," Mark said. Daniel and Reid got out of the back seat and Mark got out from behind the steering wheel. He hugged Daniel tightly and said, "Thank you _so_ much for coming, even if it was only for a couple of hours. I really appreciate it."

Jennifer had also gotten out of the car and came around to hug Daniel. "It was so nice to finally meet you Daniel."

"You also Jennifer. I'm sure we'll see each other again soon."

Mark offered Reid his hand. "Thank you so much for keeping my brother safe Agent Reid." He chuckled. "I still don't know how he hasn't driven you crazy yet, but…" His comment caused another round of giggling from Jennifer, and Mark shook his head. "Call me when you land in Los Angeles," he commented before he and Jennifer climbed back into the car.

"His driving was decidedly better this time," Reid joked as he and Daniel walked back inside the terminal.

"It couldn't be much worse, could it?" Daniel retorted, eliciting a laugh from Reid.

/\

"Daniel, if you don't mind my asking, I am a little curious about something," Reid said as they sat in their seats waiting for takeoff.

"What's that?" Daniel asked.

"Well… When your family was at your house in D.C. last week for the _'America's Most Wanted'_ filming I sense a little, I don't know, tension between you and Mark."

"That's one reason why you're such a good profiler Spencer. You have great instincts, you can read people." He didn't say anything for a few minutes while the flight attendants ran through their safety procedures and the pilots prepared for takeoff. Once they were in the air and climbing he continued. "You're right of course. There was tension between us and there still is. But it's getting better. When I went to Vancouver we were barely talking."

"How come?"

Daniel sighed. "I can't say I don't bear any responsibility for it; but for a long time Mark has been of the opinion our parents favored me over him because I was an elite athlete. He felt they sacrificed things they could have done for him in order to further my skating."

"Every indication I've seen leads me to believe that's _not_ the case Daniel."

Daniel shook his head. "It isn't true Spencer. However, I suppose it can seem that way to siblings. Skating costs a lot of money, and you _do_ have to make sacrifices. My parents never stopped either of us from doing anything Spencer. One of our parents went with me to competitions, one parent stayed with Mark. He didn't get dragged around, he didn't have to move, he didn't have to change schools; there was always at least one parent there for every practice or game he had. He actually got more of their attention than I did, to be honest. Unfortunately he never saw it that way."

Reid shook his head. He hadn't had any siblings to have a rivalry with. "I'm sorry Daniel."

"Spencer do you know he told me when he applied to ASU one of the reasons he did was to get as far away from me as he could?"

Reid stared at him. "You're kidding!"

Daniel shook his head. "I wish I were."

"What did your parents have to say about that?"

"Nothing, I never told them. Mark went off to ASU about four months after I left my old coach and signed up with Lina. She's based out of Baltimore, so I moved to Georgetown, and we train at the rink in Rockville." He shook his head. "For a while I literally thought he hated me."

"Daniel, aren't you paying your brother's way through school?" Daniel nodded. "He was angry with you; and he told you he wanted to get away from you, yet he let you pay his college tuition?"

Daniel shook his head. "Not exactly Spencer."

"What do you mean 'not exactly'?"

Daniel signed. "He didn't know I was paying his tuition. He thought mom and dad were. He didn't find out until after Vancouver. My dad overheard an argument between us, and didn't like something Mark said, so he called him on it. That's when it all came out. My father told Mark I turned over the entire amount of my endorsement fees from the company that makes my skate boots to pay his college expenses, and that I had skated in a couple extra shows when I could have gone on vacation with some friends to help them pay the mortgage off when dad first had his heart attack. And he also told him he was being damn selfish."

"That must have been interesting. What did your brother say?"

"At first he didn't say anything; and then he got up and walked out of the room. We were at our parents' house and I was sitting on the bed in my old room a couple of hours later when there was a knock at the door. It was Mark. He apologized for being a jackass and said he wanted to talk. We sat up all night and hashed out a lot of things; a lot of old hurts, resentments, misunderstandings…"

"Things are okay between the two of you now?"

Daniel nodded. "Not perfect, but okay. And we are getting better. Six months ago we probably wouldn't have been able to sleep in the same bedroom like we did at my house. Now we can."

"I'm glad to hear it Daniel. Trust me when I tell you I know how painful family rifts can be."

"Are you talking about you and your dad?"

"Yes I am."

"But the two of you are also making progress you said."

Reid nodded. "We're in a place I never could have imagined being in a couple of years ago before we solved the Riley Jenkins case."

"That's good to hear Spencer."

Both men looked up as the announcement came from the cockpit they were beginning their descent into LAX. "I forget what a short flight it is from Phoenix to LAX," Reid commented as they both fastened their seatbelts.

/\/\/\/\

4


	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer: **See my profile.

Spoilers for _'A Real Rain'_ (Season One)

/\/\/\/\

'_**A Force of Nature: Part II'**_

Chapter Twenty-Six

/\/\/\/\

"We sure got here barely in time," Reid said as Daniel sat in the Green Room waiting to be introduced on the George Lopez Show.

"I hope I look okay," Daniel laughed. "I didn't even have time for hair and makeup."

Reid shrugged. "You look okay to me."

"Thanks Spencer. I hope that translates into looking okay on television."

"Hmm…" Reid looked at Daniel for a minute before pointing at his head. "Look! You have a hair out of place!"

Daniel glared at him. "Very funny Spencer." Reid was still laughing at Daniel a couple minutes later when a production assistant came to tell Daniel he had two minutes to his introduction.

This time Reid stood just off stage watching as Daniel sat on the guest couch talking to George Lopez. It was even funnier than his appearance on Paula Deen's show, but minus the cooking. Lopez teased Daniel about his last minute arrival at the studio, and then asked him about his book and his upcoming skating show. He then turned serious and asked about the status of his stalking case and his appearance on _'America's Most Wanted'_. "I'm going to be answering phones on the hotline the night of the broadcast," Daniel told Lopez.

"So if I call the show I might be talking to you?" Lopez asked.

"Maybe, but of course you should only call if you have a tip George."

"I realize it's nothing to joke about. Besides, I have your cell phone number. I can call you any time."

Daniel laughed. "Should I change my number?"

"Not until after I make a few bucks by selling it to a few hundred of your fans."

Daniel laughed out loud. "I'm calling my cell phone company as soon as I leave George."

"I heard you used to be a gymnast before you became a figure skater."

"That was a long time ago George."

"I heard you say once you could do a back flip on a trampoline. So what we did was we set up a trampoline for you to do a back flip on."

"Are you serious?" Daniel was still laughing. "George I haven't done a back flip in years!"

"Ah come on! You can do it!"

"I don't believe this…" Daniel said as he followed Lopez over to where the trampoline was set up. As he took off his shoes Daniel looked at Reid and said, "This is really going to be embarrassing if I can't do this Spencer." Reid shrugged as Daniel sat on the edge of the trampoline and swung his legs over then stood up. "I think you should get up here and try this yourself George." Daniel bounced a couple of times and then bounced a little higher before making an attempt at a backflip. He landed on his knees laughing before bouncing on to his feet again. "I'll try it one more time." Daniel bounced a few more times before attempting a back flip again. This time he landed on his feet before falling forward. "Okay that's enough," he laughed, swinging his feet over the side and jumping off. He took a couple of bows as the audience applauded. "I think you should get up there George."

"Uh, we're going to a commercial. When we come back my guest will be…"

"Come on George!" Daniel coaxed, with the audience's encouragement.

"No thanks Kid!" Lopez said. "I'm really not interested in breaking my neck today."

A few minutes later Reid and Daniel were back in the Green Room. Daniel was still smiling. "I can't stop laughing Spencer!"

"It was pretty funny."

"Yeah…too bad I couldn't get George to get up on the trampoline!" Daniel started laughing again. He stood up. "I'm hungry. Let's go get some dinner"

"Where would you like to go?"

"I don't know. How about a good Chinese place?"

"Chinese sounds good to me, as long as I don't have to use chopsticks. I do want to call ahead though, for security reasons."

Daniel sighed. "I Know. Let's figure out where to go and then we can call ahead."

/\

Daniel looked at the chopsticks* that had come with their meal and said, "Maybe I'll give it a try. There's no one here but us since we decided to get our food to go."

"Right," Reid replied. "We can only embarrass ourselves in front of each other."

Both men opened the small packages their chopsticks had come in and pulled them out. Daniel laughed out loud as Reid tried to pick up fried rice with them but failed miserable. "Good thing hand-eye coordination isn't a requirement to be an F.B.I. agent," Daniel cracked.

"Like you're doing any better?" Reid retorted as he watched Daniel try to pick up a snow pea but drop it before it got to his mouth. "You know, I once told Morgan eating with chopsticks was like trying to forage for dinner with a pair of number two pencils."

Daniel laughed. "That's funny Spencer." After a few more attempts during which he dropped more than he got into his mouth, Daniel gave up the idea of using chopsticks and picked up a fork. Reid laughed, however after a few futile attempts of his own he too put down the chopsticks and picked up a fork. "Congratulations Spencer! You are as officially pathetic as I am."

"Uh, thanks. I think!"

/\

Daniel's appearance on the _Bonnie Hunt Show_ the next day went well. Watching Daniel sit on the guest couch talking to Bonnie, Reid was amazed how easily he could interact with people like her and George Lopez, who used humor to get their points across; and then handle more serious appearances on show such as _Nancy Grace_ with equal ease. Now that he had spent so much time getting to know Daniel personally Reid was aware it wasn't as easy for him as it appeared to be. Daniel was always nervous before an appearance on one of the television programs; however, once he walked out and sat down he was fine talking to the host one on one, even in front of an audience. Bonnie Hunt asked the usual questions about his skating, the book he was writing, and his upcoming skating appearances; and then like the other hosts she became a little more serious and asked him about his stalker and the Dolby Carriol case. She ended the interview with humor as she asked Daniel to say hello to 'that cute John Walsh' for her when he appeared on _America's Most Wanted._

Once back in the Green Room Daniel said, "I'm so excited to get over to the rink. I haven't seen Tanith in ages."

"Since Vancouver, right?"

Daniel nodded. "I've texted, emailed, and talked to her on the phone; but I haven't seen her in person. I can't wait!"

"Where are we going for dinner?" Reid asked.

Daniel shook his head. "I don't know. Ben said Tanith couldn't make up her mind." When Reid opened his mouth as if to say something Daniel sighed. "I _**know**_ Spencer! You need to know in advance where we're going so you can make sure there aren't going to be any security issues. I get it! I'll try to find out before we get there, okay?"'

"Please do Daniel." Daniel sighed again. "I know you're tired of all this, but it's for you own good."

"I know, I know!"

A few minutes later they were getting into the car Daniel had rented and looking at a map for the best route to the rink to meet Daniel's friends. They had decided to rent a car rather than check out a Bureau vehicle because the shows were paying for it, and they felt it gave them a little more freedom. "We should have figured this out this morning before we left the hotel," Reid remarked.

"Ha! No kidding! It's not like either of us has never been to Los Angeles before…" He paused for a minute. "Here we go! This is the street the rink is on; so if we take Sepulveda and make a left here and then a right here we'll be right in front of the rink."

"Great, we can get going then. I don't like sitting here too long."

"Stop being paranoid Spencer. For all we know she's back in Chicago."

"For all we know she _**isn't**_ back in Chicago," Reid retorted.

"Thank you Spencer. Way to make me feel better," Daniel retorted as he started the rental car.

After a few moments of silence Reid spoke up. "Daniel, I'm _**not**_ trying to make you feel bad. I would love for none of this to have ever happened. Since it _**has**_ happened, I have to do everything in my power to keep you safe. I know you understand that."

"I do understand Spencer. I just want it all to be over." He didn't say anything else for a minute. "Actually, if it weren't for all of this I might never have met you or Penelope."

"That would be a tragedy for Garcia," Reid laughed.

"What about you?"

Reid thought for a moment. "Daniel, you already know more about me than any other single person I know; including my mother. Morgan knows things she doesn't know; Garcia knows things Morgan doesn't; you know things none of them know."

"I'm honored." He glanced quickly at Reid. "No seriously Spencer! I'm honored."

"Thank you," Reid said with a small smile.

/\

Daniel parked the car in the lot outside the rink where the skating seminar had been held. Vehicles were pulling out of the lot and a number of people were leaving the building; many of them obviously young skaters. Reid and Daniel climbed out of the car and headed for the building. A couple of people looked at them and Reid heard one young girl gasp, "Hey! That's Daniel Meier!" Several of the people in the parking lot turned to look at them.

"Hi kids!" Daniel called out. He waved as he and Reid entered the building.

"Imagine you being recognized by a group of skaters," Reid teased.

Daniel chuckled. "Normally I'd stop and talk to them, but…"

He was interrupted by a feminine shriek from down the hall to their left. Both men turned around to see Tanith Belbin running toward them. "Daniel!" she cried before enveloping him in a hug.

"Nice to see you also Tanith," Daniel laughed, hugging his friend back.

"She almost knocked you over," Ben grinned as he walked up them at a more sedate pace than his ice dancing partner had.

Daniel found himself laughing. "Uh," he turned to Reid. "This rather enthusiastic young lady, who apparently mistook me for her boyfriend, is Tanith Belbin. This gentleman is her ice dance partner Ben Agosto. Guys, this is F.B.I. Supervisory Special Agent Spencer Reid."

"Nice to meet you Agent Reid," Tanith said. "Daniel has told me a lot about you."

"You're the one who has to put up with him 24/7? Do you receive hazard duty pay for that?" Ben asked.

Reid tried valiantly to hold back his grin. "I haven't received any so far. However, I can apply for it if I think it's warranted."

Daniel looked from Ben to Reid. "Oh you both think you're comedians, don't you?" Ben and Reid both shrugged in response. "Hey guys, I had to be indelicate, but where's the men's room?" Ben posted down the hall and Daniel told them he would be right back.

Once he was gone Ben said, "Things really are going okay with Daniel?"

Reid nodded. "We get along fine. It's almost like hanging around with a friend, except I have to be vigilant."

"I hope you catch his stalker soon," Ben said

"So do I."

"Daniel didn't tell me anything you've told him; however he did say you've had some long, deep talks," Tanith said.

Reid nodded. "That's true. I've told him things I haven't told anybody, to be honest. And he's talked about some personal things he said only the two of you know about."

"You mean Ileana?" Tanith asked with disgust in her voice.

"Tan…" Ben started.

"Don't 'Tan' me! You know he was completely in love with her, and we all thought she loved him back. And then she did what she did to him?" She turned to Reid. "I was beyond shocked when I walked into his room in Vancouver and she was sitting there like nothing ever happened, the little…"

"I literally had to hold her back," Ben said. "She was ready to go kill her."

"I told him later Ileana would just hurt him again, and that I couldn't stand to see him hurt like that again. I mean, I have known Daniel for over ten years, and I love him like my own brother. We…oh shoot! I forgot my skate bag! I'll be right back." She walked back in the direction she and Ben had come.

After she walked away Ben told Reid, "Both their lives would be so much easier if they just fell in love with each other."

Reid thought for a moment. "Maybe, but if they did they couldn't be such good friends."

"This is true. Tanith and the boyfriend she has now are fine, but in the past…"

"My ears are burning," Daniel said, as he walked up behind the two men. "Have you been talking about me?"

"Ha! Don't flatter yourself Daniel," Ben teased. "Daniel I think I should warn you Tamara Ritchie is here. She helped with the seminar."

Reid looked at Daniel. "Tamara Ritchie? Isn't she that British skater friend of yours?"

Daniel nodded. "She hasn't left yet?"

Ben shook his head. "She was in the dressing room when Tanith came out a few minutes ago."

Reid looked at Daniel as his mouth formed a grin. He turned to look in the same direction Daniel was looking and saw Tanith and a pretty young woman with dark red hair walking toward them with a smile on her face. She was around 5'4" and slender, and was carrying a skate bag over her shoulder. "Daniel!" Daniel smiled, rushed toward her and enveloped her in a hug. "I am _so_ glad to see you!" Tamara said breathlessly, hugging Daniel back.

Tanith looked at her two friends and commented, "_Why_ couldn't she have just called Daniel herself instead of giving Ileana his phone number?"

Ben rolled his eyes. "Tanith, stop!"

"Spencer, this young lady is my friend Tamara Ritchie. Tamara this is my friend and protector F.B.I. Supervisory Special Agent Spencer Reid."

"Nice to meet you Agent Reid. Thank you for taking care of Daniel."

"Nice to meet you as well. West London?"

Tamara smiled. "Very good! Yes, I am originally from Twickenham."

Tamara hooked her arm through Daniel's, and Tanith hooked one arm through Reid's and the other through Ben's. "Can we go eat now?" she asked.

"Where are we going? Spencer likes to call ahead so he can be sure about security before we get there."

"It's a Mexican place named Rosalita's," Ben said.

"Do you have the phone number?" Reid asked.

"I do," Tanith said, pulling out her cell phone.

/\

Reid's cell phone rang at 2:45 am. He looked at the Caller I.D., saw that it was Daniel and quickly answered. "Reid."

"I'm ready Spencer."

"Okay, I will be right over, and don't you dare tell me I'm being silly."

Daniel sighed. "Okay, I'll wait for you to get here."

Reid stood up and strapped his gun on before heading out the hotel room door. After the five of them had eaten dinner at Rosalita's, Ben and Tanith had headed for their own hotel rooms to pack since they had an early flight out the next morning. They would be seeing each other again at the figure skating show Daniel was taking part in July 24th, which Daniel had already invited the entire team to come and see. Tamara and Daniel had wanted to continue their conversation, and though he knew it wasn't the best idea to not stay with Daniel, Reid had suggested they could talk in Tamara's hotel room and when Daniel was ready to leave he could call Reid who would then come and escort him back to his own room. The only alternative had been for them to talk in their suite, either in the sitting room or Daniel's room while Reid stayed in his own room, but Reid had decided it wouldn't hurt for them to have a little more privacy.

Reid arrived at Tamara's hotel, which was a couple miles away, within a few minutes. He took the elevator up to the fifth floor and knocked on her door. The door opened a few inches, and once Daniel saw it was Reid he opened the door a little wider. "Hey Spencer." He turned back to look at Tamara, who was standing a few feet behind him. "I'll call you tomorrow then."

"Do you promise?"

"Yes, I promise!" He gave her a quick hug and then went out into the hall with Spencer. Tamara securely locked the door behind them and the two men headed for the elevator. Once they were sitting in the car Daniel said, "Spencer you won't get in trouble for letting me do this, will you?"

"Why would I?"

"Come on Spencer!"

"No, I won't. Don't worry about it Daniel." Reid started the car and looked briefly at Daniel as he pulled away from the curb. "Everything okay?"

Daniel sighed. "Yes and no Spencer."

"Yes _and_ no?"

"We cried, we laughed, we talked, we hugged… It pretty much ran the gamut of emotions, I think. Tamara told me when I get to England to attend Oxford she will show me around, introduce me to some people and I'll make new friends over there. She said I always make friends easily." He stopped for a moment and looked straight ahead. "I asked her what was wrong with me."

Reid looked at him. "What? Why?"

Daniel shook his head. "She said 'Nothing honey, you just got a lemon the first time'."

"She means Ileana?"

Daniel sighed. "That was one hell of a lemon Spencer."

"When life hands you lemons, make lemonade." Daniel shook his head as Reid parked the car at their own hotel and they climbed out. Reid engaged the car alarm and then handed the keys to Daniel, who put them in his pocket. They walked into the lobby and then got into an elevator and Reid pushed the button for their floor. "Is Tamara still friends with Ileana, Daniel?"

"No, she isn't. She hasn't seen her in weeks and she doesn't even talk to her anymore. She said she doesn't like how she behaves in general, not to mention how she treated me."

"Are you and Tamara going to keep in touch?"

"I hope so Spencer, I hope so."

/\/\/\/\

*My oldest nephew is studying to be a Chef at Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Institute, and he currently works at PF Chang's in Chandler, Arizona. He uses chopsticks like he's been eating with them his entire life.

11


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N**: Sorry it's been so long, and this chapter might be a little lame, but I have had writer's block! And then when I was able to work on this, I couldn't find the time to type it up. I'll try to update a little more quickly next time!

**Disclaimer: **See my profile.

/\/\/\/\

'_**A Force of Nature: Part II'**_

Chapter Twenty-Seven

/\/\/\/\

"Your geographic profile was spot on, kid. You never cease to amaze me. We arrested Miller at his apartment on a block right in the middle of your profile area."

"I think you helped a little Morgan. Are you on your way back then?"

"We're waiting for takeoff at the airport now. How are things with you?"

"We arrived at Alex and Caroline's house a couple hours ago. Alex made sweet and sour chicken and fried rice, and a low fat cheesecake for dessert. Daniel and I cleaned up and did the dishes. Now we're waiting for Caroline to come out of the bathroom so we can play a game of _Monopoly: The World Edition_."

Morgan laughed. "You're kidding!"

"What's so funny about that?" Reid asked indignantly. "I like _Monopoly_."

Still laughing Morgan continued. "Okay kid. Whatever you say. I have to get off. I'll call you later. Bye."

"Bye Morgan."

As soon as Reid hung up the phone Caroline came walking out of the bathroom. "Are we all ready to play?" she asked cheerfully.

"Got the board all set to go," Alex declared.

"Who is going to be the banker?" Reid asked as the four of them sat down at the table.

"Anyone but Caroline," Alex stated.

Caroline looked at her husband. "What do you mean by that?" she asked.

"Mom, you cheat," Daniel said.

"I certainly do _**not**_!" Caroline declared indignantly.

"Yes you do dear," Alex responded.

"Well!"

"Spencer, how about you play banker?" Alex suggested.

Reid, who was trying not to laugh, nodded his head. "Okay."

Reid knew some people found playing _Monopoly_ to be boring; however he disagreed. He enjoyed the game, and he enjoyed talking to the people he was playing with during the game. Playing with Daniel and his parents meant two things; he was likely to hear more interesting tidbits about Daniel's childhood, and he would be made to feel like a member of the family as opposed to being just a guest. Forty-five minutes later Reid was winning the game and Daniel had landed in jail three times. Alex had houses on all of his properties; however Reid owned more pieces of property. Caroline owned all the utilities and Daniel had to mortgage everything to pay rent and get out of jail. His mother teased him that Reid playing banker instead of her hadn't helped him much; to which Daniel replied it just wasn't his day. By the time the game was finished Daniel's fortunes had taken a turn for the better. Reid won the game; Alex came in second, Daniel third and Caroline last due to having to declare bankruptcy.

"Sorry mom," Daniel grinned.

"Hmph! You boys are just too greedy," she declared.

"Us greedy? You're the one who bought properties leaving yourself with no money and then had to mortgage to pay rent when you landed on one of Spencer's properties," Alex declared.

"Spencer owns half the board," Caroline lamented.

"That's because he bought everything he landed on," Daniel laughed.

"Just about," Reid said, as he straightened out the paper money to put it back in the box. "Owning a diverse portfolio of properties enables me as a player to bargain well with the other players."

Caroline stood up and began reaching for the cups and plates they had been drinking from and eating brownies off of. "What if you don't happen to land on any properties?"

"In that case I am far less likely to do well," Reid stated.

"Right Spencer! The only games he hasn't won on a regular basis are chess games against Jason Gideon," Daniel declared.

Reid nodded. "I never could beat Gideon at chess."

"Why is that?" Alex asked.

Reid shrugged as he put the lid on the game box. "He was my mentor and I suppose I was still a little intimidated by him. Morgan told me I needed to think outside the box, and Gideon that I should be thinking three moves ahead."

"That makes sense. Chess is used by a lot of great military minds to teach strategy. In a battle or the larger picture of a war or conflict you should always be trying to think and plan ahead," Alex said.

"I keep trying to get Daniel to play chess," Reid said with a grin.

"I hate chess," Daniel said, making a face.

"You never really played, so how do you know you hate chess?" Alex asked his son.

"It's boring. Watching people play chess is like watching paint dry!"

"Ha! You've never seen me play with my young friends at the park!"

Alex stretched and yawned. "Well I don't know about the rest of you, but I am heading for bed. What time are we going to the rink tomorrow?"

"They said they could give me an hour of private ice time at ten. After that they have group lessons and probably sessions until four pm. Same thing on Thursday as well."

"Your mother has to work, but I will get up and go with you." He looked at Reid. "Once the private ice time is over maybe you and I can get out there with him?"

Reid laughed. "I don't know about that Alex. I'll have to think about it."

"I thought you told us you know how to skate," Caroline said.

"I do, but I can't keep an eye on things as well from the ice in the middle of a bunch of people."

"Oh yes, I didn't think of that," Alex admitted.

"Do you really think there's any danger out here?" Caroline asked.

Reid looked from Caroline to Alex, then to Daniel and back at Caroline. "Actually no, I do not. Of course I could be wrong, however based on the original profile I don't think anything will happen out here."

"That's a relief," Caroline said as she and Alex stood up.

"Trust me Caroline, nothing will happen to Daniel if there is anything I can do to prevent it," Reid said.

Caroline smiled. "I know Spencer." She kissed Daniel and then hugged both he and Reid. Alex did the same and then the four said their good nights before Alex and Caroline headed for their bedroom.

"You just had to bring up chess didn't you Spencer," Daniel complained as he picked up the _Monopoly_ box to put the game away.

"I'm going to get you to play one of these days," Reid insisted.

"That's what _you_ think!"

/\

The next morning when Reid, Alex and Daniel headed for the rink Caroline had already headed to work. She had a meeting with a new client regarding their color choices for paint and draperies in the house they had just finished remodeling and were now decorating. Once the three men reached the rink Reid sat talking with Alex while Daniel laced up his skates.

"I didn't really want to take early retirement," Alex sighed. "But it seemed to be the best course of action at the time. I talked to my doctor at my last appointment and he gave me the green light to either look for a part-time job or maybe so some volunteer work."

Reid nodded. "I understand totally Alex. When I was laid up from being shot in the leg I thought I was going to go stir crazy. I understand you need to get out there and _do_ something. What does Caroline think?"

"She was concerned at first; however she agrees with my doctor it's time for me to get out of the house more often."

"How about Daniel and Mark?"

"I expected them to be less fussy than Caroline; but they were actually more so. However they came around to my way of thinking. Daniel even made a list of organizations that could use some help."

"He mentioned that the other day when we had lunch with Mark and Jennifer."

"I'm going to start making phone calls on Monday."

"I think that's a great idea Alex."

"What's a great idea?" Daniel asked as he walked out of the dressing room.

"My looking for a job or doing some volunteer work."

"I agree Dad. I know you need to get out of the house."

"What are you going to skate to today?" Alex asked as Daniel stepped out on to the ice.

"I'm going to run through my two new exhibition numbers and then just skate around and work on spins. I wasn't centering very well the other day and I was travelling a little also."

"Great! I haven't seen anything about the new numbers yet," Alex commented.

"Spencer helped me pick the songs, and Penelope helped me with some of the choreography." Daniel skated out to the center of the ice and then signaled for his dad to turn on the music. Alex reached over and switched on the CD player and the opening notes of _Here I Go Again_ began to play. Daniel ran through the entire program even though he touched his hand down on one jump and didn't do his splits as well as he wanted to. He skated over to the side of the rink and leaned on the railing. "How did it look, Dad? Pretty bad, hunh?"

"Well I think the girls will love it," Alex said with a grin.

Daniel sighed. "Come on Dad! I know I made mistakes."

Alex shrugged. "I like the opening a lot. The only problem I saw was putting your hand down on the one jump. The spins looked okay, but the scratch spin was a little slow. Your sit spin didn't look like it traveled at all."

"What about the splits? I promised Penelope I would do them and I don't feel like I'm doing them very well."

"You still have a few weeks until the show, just start stretching a little more and you'll be fine."

Daniel sighed. "I guess I should have been doing that all along." He looked at Reid. "What do you think Spencer?"

"Come on Daniel, you know I don't know much about figure skating."

"Just give me an opinion as to how it looked."

Reid shrugged. "As an observer I like it." He shook his head. "Frankly I have no idea how you get up from that knee slide; but it certainly looks good out on the ice."

"The girls like it," Alex grinned.

"Dad please!"

"Especially when you wiggle a little."

"Dad!" Daniel glared at Reid when he burst out laughing. "When the two of you are through can you please turn the CD back on so I can try a run through of _Time of My Life_?" He turned and skated back out to the center of the ice.

"Sulking isn't attractive!" Alex called out. Daniel ignored his father and took his opening pose. This time he didn't make any mistakes.

"So what did you think Dad?"

Alex nodded. "I like it, I like it a lot. The choreography fits the music, and I do like the lyrics of the song."

"My agent is trying to arrange for David Cook to sing the song live at the show while I skate."

"That would be great if she could do that!"

"What do you call that move near the end where you put your hand down on the ice and kind of circle backward in a sit spin position?" Reid asked.

"Hydro blading," Daniel answered.

"How the heck do you stand up from that?" Reid asked. "I mean, you do that move and then you just stand up like it was nothing same as you do with the knee slide; and then you strike your ending pose."

"I don't know Spencer, I just do. It's like standing up from a crouch, which you can do, only on the ice. I'm going to run though both programs again. Dad, can you start the music from the beginning please?"

A little while later when other skaters began to trickle into the rink for group lessons Daniel was still out on the ice practicing various individual moves; but not running through his programs. A couple of the skaters recognized Daniel and became excited. They stood and watched him as he ran through a series of spins. Once he was finished they crowded around him peppering him with questions and requests for autographs. After a few minutes their coach arrived and shooed his students away from Daniel, who couldn't help smiling. The coach apologized, however Daniel assured him it was okay and the coach attempted to organize his students to begin their lesson. Daniel skated over to his father and Reid. "I don't think my idea of skating with the students is going to work," he remarked.

"Probably not," Alex grinned.

"Maybe you could ask the coach if you can help him with his students," Reid suggested.

Daniel thought for a minute. "I guess I can do that." He skated over to the coach and took him aside to ask him. The coach nodded and Daniel began speaking to the students. Reid and Alex watched as Daniel skated around the ice with the students and demonstrated moves. When he went into a series of spins they heard the coach tell the students to watch carefully because that was how it was supposed to be done. An hour later Daniel skated over to his father and Reid and said, "Let's go grab some lunch. The coach's name is Jackson, and he asked me if I wanted to come back in an hour for his next group lesson. I told him I would." He looked at Reid. "Okay, I know I should have discussed it with you first Spencer."

"It's okay Daniel. We will just have to be careful." Daniel removed his skates and changed his clothes and the three men left the rink to have some lunch.

After eating lunch and returning to the rink Daniel skated with the students and in a public session until just after three pm. The three men then left the rink and headed back to Alex and Caroline's house where Alex prepared dinner and Daniel and Reid again cleaned up. This evening Alex suggested they play _Scrabble_; however after Daniel asked him if he really wanted to play a game like _Scrabble_ with a genius who had six college degrees he laughed and Caroline suggested they play _Life _instead. Reid spent another pleasant evening playing board games with Daniel and his parents; and then watched a movie with Daniel after Alex and Caroline had gone to bed.

Thursday morning the three men went to the rink at the same time they had on Wednesday. Again Daniel ran through his two new programs and worked on his spins before once again joining Jackson and his students for their group lesson. This time Daniel demonstrated hydro blading to the young skaters and showed them his trademark knee slide move. He ended up laughing with Jackson and his students when no one other than Daniel could do it and stand up afterward, including Jackson. Jackson could, however, hydro blade quite well, and Daniel told him he had a feeling the students would be asking him to do it all the time. Jackson laughed and thanked him for his help after his afternoon lesson; and Reid, Daniel and Alex left the rink at 3:30 pm. Daniel waved to the students who were still skating in the public session and the three men once again returned to the house.

While his father once again prepared dinner and he and Reid set the table Daniel said, "Spencer, I have decided you and Dad are going to skate tomorrow."

Reid looked up at him. "We are going back to Georgetown tomorrow Daniel."

"In the afternoon. In the morning you and my father are going skating."

"Daniel, I can't keep as good of an eye on what is going on from the ice. We have already discussed this."

"I know we did; and you never said we couldn't do it."

"Come on Spencer," Alex said from the kitchen. "You know Daniel is like a force of nature when he is determined to do something. Anyway, it can't really be worse than being in the middle of a crowd in a public place with him, can it?"

"I understand the 'force of nature' part, Alex. He's kind of like Penelope Garcia in that respect. I do already know how to skate; I'm just concerned about the security issue. You do have a point about being in the middle of a crowd, because I have dealt with that several times."

"You can skate during the private ice time then. I can still use the hour from ten to eleven tomorrow morning if I want. It will be just us and a few rink employees."

Reid sighed. "Okay, okay!"

Caroline came home from work a few minutes later and they ate dinner soon after. This evening they played several spirited games of _Yahtzee_. The games were not one-sided; all four of them won at least one game each. Reid had not played _Yahtzee_ in years. The last time he had played had been with Morgan and Garcia in a hotel room during a case. Morgan had teased him he couldn't win every game because there was no way to cheat, and Reid had responded he didn't cheat. Garcia had told Morgan to stop picking on Reid. Reid smiled at the memory. He could always count on Penelope Garcia, even when Derek Morgan was involved.

"What are you smiling at Spencer?" Daniel asked.

Reid chuckled. "I was thinking about the last time I played _Yahtzee_. It was in a hotel room with Garcia and Morgan. He was giving me a hard time and Garcia told him to stop picking on me."

"Hmph! If you ask me, Agent Morgan teases you a little too much!" Caroline stated.

"He claims it's because I'm like his little brother that he teases me so much."

"Even Mark said something to him about teasing you," Alex laughed.

"Spencer gets a few good responses in, but probably not as many as he could," Daniel said.

"I do on occasion, yes." Reid shrugged. "I don't mind that much, to be honest. I suppose he over does it sometimes, especially when it comes to my personal life; however like I said before, I'm an only child and I never had a big brother."

"It's probably also a little bit of a stress relief from your job," Alex added.

Reid sighed. "We certainly can use stress relief at times."

"Anyone up for another game?" Caroline asked. They all agreed to play another game, and the dice were soon rolling again.

/\

"Stop laughing Daniel," Alex commanded as he held on to the railing at the side of the ice surface. Spencer skated slowly a few feet away from him.

"Dad, it was your idea to skate today. You could at least let go of the railing. Look at Spencer, he's not holding on to the railing."

"Spencer already knows how to skate," Alex complained.

"Dad you had a couple lessons a few years ago. You know how to skate also."

"Yes, I and a bunch of adult skaters who didn't want to look stupid in front of their kids," Alex retorted.

Reid laughed. "Come on Alex! It couldn't have been that bad!"

Alex grumbled a little more but took his hand off the railing. When he didn't fall or slip he stood up a little straighter and started to move forward. "See Dad? You're doing just fine," Daniel said. Alex mumbled something in response but continued around the rink without holding on to the railing.

A couple hours after the skating session Alex, Daniel and Reid were back at the house. Daniel and Reid had the car loaded and were preparing to leave. Alex looked at his watch. "Your mother said she would be home early to say goodbye. She should be here soon."

A few minutes later Caroline pulled up and parked. She climbed out of her car and rushed over to Daniel and gave him a hug. "I'm so glad you are still here. I was afraid I was going to miss you!" Daniel hugged both of his parents tightly. "You be careful and take care of yourself!" Caroline said. She turned to Reid and gave him a hug as well. Take care of my baby and take care of yourself Spencer!"

"I will Caroline, I promise!" Alex hugged Reid as well before giving Daniel a second hug.

"Well, how was skating today?" Caroline quipped.

"Great! I didn't fall once," Alex joked. Everyone laughed.

The four of them stood and looked at each other for a few minutes. "I guess it's time to go," Daniel finally said. He climbed behind the wheel of his car while Reid climbed into the passenger seat. "Don't forget to watch _America's Most Wanted_ tomorrow." Alex and Caroline waved as they pulled away from the curb and headed down the street.

After the two men had driven in silence for a few minutes Reid said, "It's hard to leave, isn't it?"

Daniel sighed. "No matter how old I get it's still hard to leave my parents' house. I guess it always will be." He glanced at Reid. "It's better than feeling like you want to leave as soon as possible." Reid smiled. "Spencer… I didn't want to tell my parents, but…"

"What?"

"I have this weird feeling that something is going to happen. What do you think it means?"

Reid shook his head. "I don't know. Maybe it means the stalking case will be solved tomorrow?"

"I hope so. I really hope so."

/\/\/\/\

_Keep hoping Daniel, keep hoping!_

12


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: **Working on an update of _'Weird, Alaska' _right now! Thank you all for your patience! Writer's Block is a b++ch! I am also supposed to be working on a Blog/review of a skating show I went to on October 2nd in Los Angeles. Should have been done already, and making such slow progress! Writing is harder than many people realize, I think!

**/\**

**Disclaimer: **See my profile.

/\/\/\/\

'_**A Force of Nature: Part II'**_

Chapter Twenty-Eight

_The Broadcast_

/\/\/\/\

"How do I look Spencer?" Daniel asked.

"Fine."

"Fine? Is that all you're going to say?"

"What do you want me to say Daniel? You look fine!"

Daniel looked intently at Reid's tie. "Your tie is crooked Spencer." He reached over and attempted to straighten it.

Reid pushed his hand away. "Stop, leave my tie alone!"

"Come on Spencer! Let me fix it!"

"Daniel, my tie does not need fixing!"

"Spencer, your tie is crooked. Let me fix it!"

Reid pushed Daniel's hand away again when he tried to straighten his tie. Finally Daniel said, "Fine Spencer! Go ahead and appear on national television with your tie half sideways. Don't say I didn't warn you when you look like a doofus!"

"A doofus? Really Daniel!"

Daniel crinkled his nose. "Humph! Derek and I help you pick out all those nice clothes, and then you go on national television wearing your new tie crooked. What_ever_!"

"Daniel, people are _not_ going to be looking at my tie! People watch _America's Most Wanted _for the stories and to see who was captured this week."

"I know that. But, have you ever seen John Walsh with _his _tie crooked?"

Reid sighed. "Daniel, will you stop nagging me if I let you straighten my tie?"

"Well…yeah! I mean, after that I wouldn't have anything to nag you about, would I?"

"I'm sure you could find something," Reid said as Daniel tightened the knot on his tie and straightened it slightly.

"There you go Spencer. Much better now." Reid shook his head as Daniel patted his shoulder.

"All set gentlemen?" John Walsh asked as he walked up to them.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Reid said nervously.

"Just relax Agent Reid," the producer said. "It will be just like in the run through. John will introduce the first segment, and then he will introduce you and Mr. Meier for the second segment. You will talk briefly about the Dolby Carriol case, and then the segment will be shown. After the break you will speak about the stalking case, and we will show the two sketches of the female suspect, as well as the two sketches of the male suspect. After that both you and Mr. Meier will answer phone calls on our hotline."

"The hotline is open twenty-four hours, but we always have a surge in calls during the actual broadcast; first on the east coast, then the central time zone, the mountain time zone, the pacific time zone and then Alaska and Hawaii," Walsh added.

"We can stay and answer calls for as long as you need us," Reid told him.

"Thank you! Your assistance is very much appreciated," the producer said.

"Two minutes," the director called to them.

Reid and Daniel moved behind the studio cameras to watch the show as it unfolded. First the segment 'teasers' ran, followed by the beginning of the show; and then Walsh introduced the first segment. Once the first segment was finished a production assistant placed Reid and Daniel in front of the camera next to Walsh. Walsh introduced each of them to the viewing audience and Reid could not avoid a slight blush when Walsh stated he and Daniel had singlehandedly taken down one of the F.B.I.'s Ten Most Wanted fugitives. The segment was then shown.

Daniel leaned over to Reid and said, "I still think that actor doesn't look anything like Derek; but you know, _your_ actor has socks that match, and we know you never wear matching socks."

Reid looked at him. "Daniel, shut up." Daniel laughed at his response.

Once the Dolby Carriol segment was finished Walsh brought Reid and Daniel into the conversation again. He mentioned the fact Daniel had a long-time problem with a stalker, and mentioned he had been stabbed by his alleged stalker and a male accomplice. Daniel had vetoed the idea of doing a reenactment of his own attack on the show and instead suggested they just show the sketches of the suspects. While they were talking Reid noticed Daniel was visibly agitated and looked at him with concern. Walsh appeared to notice also and placed a supportive hand on Daniel's shoulder. The police and the F.B.I. sketch of the female subject and then the male subject were shown. Walsh then indicated the letters attributed to the female stalker had been mailed from a Chicago zip code, and indicated it was possible the suspects were from that area and might still live there. Walsh then described the next segment and Reid and Daniel's parts on camera were over.

"Are you okay Daniel?" Walsh asked.

"I had a little bit of a bad reaction to talking about my stabbing, but I think I'm okay."

Walsh patted his shoulder. "I'm glad to hear it! I know it's been hard on you. Tarlyn here, one of our production assistants, will get you both set up on the hotline. I'd like to thank you again for helping out, and hopefully we'll catch your stalker tonight."

"Thank you Mr. Walsh," Daniel said. Both he and Reid shook hands with Walsh.

/\

Ninety minutes later, while the show was being broadcast in the Mountain Time Zone, calls were steadily coming in on three different cases, including two of that evening's segments. Though the operators had fielded several calls from people who wanted to talk to Daniel personally, they had not received any useful tips regarding his stalker. Daniel had politely declined talking to any of the callers who asked for him because he wasn't on the show to be a celebrity; he was on the show to find his stalker and help catch criminals and fugitives.

Just after the show ended in the Mountain Time Zone and began in the Pacific Time Zone, one of the operators took a call that changed everything.

"_America's Most Wanted_, how may I help you?"*

"_Uh… Well…"_

"May I help you sir?"

"_I…um…"_

"Sir? Do you have a tip for us this evening? If you're concerned, I do assure you we can guarantee your anonymity."

"_I…well… I, I might know something about that stalking case. I wanted to know if I could speak to that F.B.I. agent personally."_

The operator turned to look behind her to her left, where she knew Agent Reid was sitting. "He's on another call right now. I'll be happy to take your tip sir."

"_No, I… I really would rather speak to the F.B.I. agent."_

"Sir, I am going to put you on hold and see if I can arrange that. Please do not hang up. Okay?"

The caller hesitated. _"Okay, I won't hang up."_

The operator placed the caller on hold and set her headphone down on top of her computer keyboard. She spotted the show's producer standing a few feet away speaking with John Walsh and one of the segment directors. "Excuse me…" The three men turned to look at her. "I have a tipster on the line who said he might know something about the Daniel Meier case, but will only talk to Agent Reid."

"Keep him on the line," the producer said immediately. "We'll get Agent Reid." The operator picked up her headphones and the three men went over to where Reid was sitting.

Reid looked up as John Walsh reached over and pushed a button on his telephone that would take him out of the queue for new calls. "Yes ma'am, you will remain anonymous. You've been very helpful. Thank you and have a good evening." As he disconnected he finished typing the caller's information into a form on his computer and sent it. He looked up at the three men with a puzzled expression on his face.

"Cathy has a caller on the line that may have a tip on Daniel's case," Walsh said. "He'll only speak to you about it."

Reid stood up immediately. "Which one is Cathy?" After she was pointed out to him Reid sat down next to her. "Did the caller give you any information at all?" he asked.

"No, he just said he might have some information and then he asked to speak to you."

"Okay, thank you." Cathy handed Reid her headphones and he took a couple of breaths before putting them on and pushing the button to talk to the caller. "Hello, this is Agent Spencer Reid. I understand you asked to speak to me?"

"_Uh yes. I saw you on the show and I might know something, but I wanted to talk to you."_

"Do you know who the suspects are?"

The caller hesitated. _"Are you sure she won't find out who called?"_

"I'm positive. You can remain anonymous."

"_Well…okay then." _There was a brief hesitation on the other end of the line during which Reid looked up to see Daniel was now standing a few feet away with John Walsh and Cathy. _"I live in New Mexico now, but I used to live in Chicago, on East Delaware. I was seeing this girl who lived a few blocks away, and one night a co-worker of hers invited us over to her place to watch a movie. It was weird because, well, my ex-girlfriend had already told me she thought this gal was odd and I asked why we were going then, and she said she worked with this girl and was just trying to be polite. So we went."_

"Can you tell me the friend's name?"

"_Tonya Littleman or Littlefield, I'm not positive of her last name."_

Reid wrote both last names down. "Do you remember her address?"

"_I can't remember the exact address. I called my ex-girlfriend and she can't remember either. All I remember is it was on Hazel Street."_

"Can you tell me why you think Ms. Littlefield is our suspect?"

"_It…it was really weird. We got there and she lets us in and there must have been at least a couple dozen pictures of that skater guy Daniel in her living room. And then she tells us she has all these videos of him also. I mean, I know fans have pictures and all… But she kept talking and talking and talking about him like she knew him or something. It was a little spooky. We tried to watch the movie but she just kept talking about him."_

"Okay, I understand she was obsessed. However, why do you think she would have attacked Mr. Meier?"

"_My girlfriend and I broke up, but a few weeks later she asked me to go over there with her again because she needed to pick up some papers or something for work and she didn't want to go by herself because she said this Tanya was acting really weird. I said weirder than usual and she told me that wasn't funny. We got there and she lets us in to get the papers and all the pictures were down off the wall. A couple of them were still in the frames, but had some kind of paint or something sprayed on them. And I saw two on the table with what looked like holes poked through them. We got the papers and got the hell out of there as soon as possible. I mean, she was acting crazy."_

"Do you remember anything else? Do you have any idea who her male companion might be?" Reid listened for a moment and wrote down some more notes. "No I assure you she won't find out you called. If you wish to remain anonymous you can and you will." Reid gave the caller a number to call him directly if he had any more information to provide and the caller disconnected. He looked up at Daniel as he opened his cell phone and pressed the speed dial for Penelope Garcia. "I think we have something here!" 

/\

Daniel paced the conference room nervously as Reid sat waiting for a phone call from the F.B.I.'s Chicago Field Office. "Daniel will you please stop pacing! You are making me very nervous!"

"I'm making _you_ nervous? How do you think _I_ feel?"

"Sugar, sit down and try to relax," Garcia said.

Daniel sat down next to her at the conference table and Garcia put her hand on his arm. "Why are you even here so late on a Saturday night, let alone after midnight which makes it actually Sunday morning?" Daniel asked.

"Hotch had me working on something for him, plus I thought if any info came in during the broadcast you might need me," she said.

"Thanks Garcia," Reid said. He sighed as he thought about the phone conversation with the tipster. He had gone on to say after he had seen the segment on the show he had called his ex-girlfriend back in Chicago who had told him Tanya no longer worked as a C.P.A. at her office. She had been fired a few months back. Reid figured her having been fired; along with not receiving a response from Daniel, had been the stressors that had caused her to escalate her stalking campaign. Garcia had been able to determine Tanya was twenty-five years old and her last name was Littlefield, along with her exact address and the fact she still held the lease on the same apartment. Reid had immediately called the Chicago F.B.I. office and requested they bring her in. He had no desire to wait until he or the rest of his BAU team could get there. The team had returned from their case in Florida and the next day headed out on another one. He and Daniel had returned quickly to Quantico where they were now waiting to hear from Chicago.

_Three dark colored vehicles pulled up outside the high rise apartment building in Chicago. Passersby gawked as several people, some with S.W.A.T. and others with F.B.I. on the back of their vests, jumped out of the vehicles and raced into the building. Some of them stayed behind to guard the entrance while two went around the other side of the building. On the sixth floor the S.W.A.T. team and three F.B.I. agents approached unit 635. Weapons at the ready they took their positions while one of the agents knocked loudly, declared their presence and demanded Tanya Littlefield open the door. He called out three times and received no reply; therefore the group kicked in the door and entered the apartment. Within two minutes they had secured the apartment and determined no one was home. The agent in charge stood looking at several smashed picture frames and a television set with a smashed in screen. On the carpet in front of the television were several broken pieces of a vase that had apparently been thrown at the set._

"Are you sure Agent Morales? … Thank you very much. Please keep me posted. Good night." He sighed as he disconnected with the agent who had been in charge in Chicago.

"What's going on?" Garcia asked.

"Chicago PD S.W.A.T. and the local F.B.I. office went to her apartment but she's gone. There's evidence that she left in a hurry, possibly after seeing the _America's Most Wanted_ broadcast. They are going through her apartment right now for any clues as to who the male suspect might be or where she might have gone."

"Damn it!" Daniel said loudly banging his hand on the table. "Is this _ever_ going to end?"

"I'm going to dig into her bank accounts and credit cards to see if we can track her by any new transactions she makes," Garcia said. "Come on!" The two men followed her to her office.

/\/\/\/\

*I'm not sure how the operators actually answer the calls as far as the greeting, so I decided to go with this.

9


	29. Chapter 29

-1**Disclaimer: **See my profile!

**A/N: **Sorry for the long wait! It's been long enough I couldn't even remember my UnSub's name without checking, LOL! I've had a hand-written copy of this chapter ready to go for a couple of weeks; however I just have not had the time to type it up. I was working a temporary job, and I managed to get behind on Blogs, story updates and articles I write for . Don't even ask me how far behind on e-mail I am!

/\/\/\/\

'_**A Force of Nature: Part II'**_

Chapter Twenty-Nine

/\/\/\/\

Daniel sighed. "I can't believe we were so close and they still don't have her!"

"I'm sorry sugar," Garcia smiled sadly.

"Where's Spencer?"

"He's talking to Agent Morales in Chicago. After that he is going to come in here and talk to us about what is going to happen next."

Daniel sat back in his chair. "I just want this to be over Penelope."

"I know you do honey." Garcia reached over and placed her hand on his. She looked up at Reid as he walked into her office. "Pull up a chair," she commented.

Reid dropped into a chair and looked at Daniel. "I did make a couple of decisions. One of the ways we can track a fugitive like Tanya Littlefield is by monitoring activity on their bank accounts and credit cards. Garcia has already determined she made a large cash withdrawal within fifteen minutes of being mentioned on '_America's Most Wanted_'."

"How large?" Daniel asked.

"Five hundred dollars at four different ATMs for a total of $2000," Garcia remarked.

"$2000 was probably her daily limit and five hundred the maximum for one ATM transaction," Reid added. "It was too late to go inside the branch."

"$2000 sounds like a lot, but if you're running it probably wouldn't last long," Daniel said.

"You would also need to show identification for a hotel room," Reid added. "Even though a hotel is not going to be checking for warrants, it would still be a risk for her. Of course we haven't identified her male accomplice yet, and since they would be paying cash, he could pay for a room, especially if they were in a smaller hotel, and no one would be the wiser. I had to decide whether to freeze her accounts to cut off her access to funds. It seemed like the smartest decision to make; however, it also limits our ability to track her movements."

"So what did you decided to do?" Daniel asked.

"I thought about canceling her credit cards and leaving her bank accounts open," Reid responded. "Then I realized it would probably be easier to track her if I have her bank account frozen and leave her credit card accounts open." He sighed. "One of the issues that complicated things is it may be several days before she needs money again. I went ahead and had her bank freeze her accounts."

Daniel looked at him. "You were able to do that at three a.m. on a Sunday morning?"

"Of course he can honey!" Garcia exclaimed. "He's an F.B.I. Special Agent and a certified genius of the high I.Q. variety! He can do anything!"

Daniel snorted, which caused Garcia to start laughing. "Thank you _so_ much for the vote of confidence Daniel," Reid said. He stood up. "I am now going to make a call to the U.S. Marshals. Try to behave while I am gone."

"Us?" Garcia remarked. "When have we ever _not_ behaved?"

"Do you really want me to answer that question?" Reid asked as he went out the door.

"Probably not," Garcia answered as he left.

/\

Daniel signed as he opened the front door of his house. "Spencer I am exhausted!"

"Daniel, it's almost seven a.m. and neither of us has been to bed yet." Daniel waited by the front door while Reid checked the house, and then walked into the kitchen when Reid gave the all clear. "You don't have anything scheduled for today, so you should be able to get some rest."

"What about you? You must be as exhausted as I am."

"I'll rest eventually."

"When?"

"When I do."

"Spencer you need some sleep."

"I know and I will get some."

"When?"

"Daniel, stop! I appreciate your concern, but nagging me will not help the situation!"

"Too bad, because I'm pretty good at nagging."

"Right. And you're gotten better at it since you started spending time with Penelope Garcia I bet."

Daniel laughed. "I think you're right about that." He set the bags from the quick stop[ they had made at a grocery store on the kitchen counter. "How about an omelet and some bacon Spencer?"

"Sounds good. I can make it."

"No, I'll do it. You do whatever it is you need to do so you can rest quicker."

Reid looked at him. "You never stop, do you?" he asked as Daniel began putting away groceries. He received a shrug in response.

Half an hour later Reid was sitting at Daniel's desk with his laptop open yawning when Daniel tapped him on the shoulder and told him breakfast was ready. "I see you yawning Spencer. Don't try to hide it."

"You already knew I was tired Daniel."

"And hungry," Daniel commented a few minutes later after Reid had eaten a cheese omelet, three slices of bacon, hash browns and two slices of toast.

"You ate the same thing I did," Reid commented. "You must be sick. You usually hardly eat breakfast, if at all."

"I know. But whenever I'm up all night like that I'm hungrier in the morning."

"That makes sense in light of the fact when you eat breakfast you are breaking a fast you have essentially slept through. However, being awake instead of asleep modifies the body's reaction to several hours between meals and you become hungrier than you would be if you had just woken up even though the same amount of time has passed."

Daniel looked at him. "Thank you Spencer. Good to know. I haven't heard you spout for a while."

"Very funny Daniel." Daniel laughed as he picked up their dishes and placed them in the dishwasher. Forty five minutes later Daniel had taken a shower, changed his clothes and fallen asleep. Reid tried to work on his reports for a while, but discovered he was just too tired to continue. He saved his work, shut down his laptop and was asleep half an hour after Daniel had gone to bed.

/\

Daniel yawned and looked over at his bedside alarm clock. "Noon? Come on Daniel, go back to sleep! It's barely been three hours," he said out loud. Grumbling to himself he got up and walked to the kitchen to get a glass of water. As he leaned on the counter drinking it he found himself staring at a spot on the wall above his dining room table where a cameo picture of his mother as a young girl seemed to have been moved. He walked over to the picture and looked more closely; and then ran to the guest room and banged on the door to wake Reid up.

/\

The F.B.I. technician dropped four tiny microphones on to the kitchen table in front of Reid and Daniel. "There you go Agent Reid. One mounted on the wall behind the picture, one in the master bedroom, one in the living room, and the fourth in the second bedroom."

"Oh God!" Daniel moaned. "How long have they been here?"

The technician looked at him. "We just swept your house on Thursday, Mr. Meier. Agent Reid had us do it before you came home."

"You mean someone has been in my house in the _last three days_?" Daniel asked, his voice rising.

"Daniel calm down," Reid said.

"_Calm down_?" Daniel stood up. "I think I'm going to be sick!" He ran down the hall toward his bedroom and slammed the door behind him.

"I'm sorry Agent Reid," the technician said.

"It's okay. I'll handle it. Thank you."

The technician picked up the microphones and carefully bagged each one. "We'll let you know if we lift any prints or other evidence."

"Thank you," Reid said as the technician and his team left. He stood up and walked over to Daniel's bedroom. "Daniel," he called, knocking on the door. "We need to move you to a safe house."

"No," came the muffled reply.

"I've already made the arrangements."

"I'm not going."

"Yes, you are."

"I don't want to."

"It doesn't matter Daniel. It's no longer a choice."

The door opened. "You're telling me I can't say no?"

Reid sighed. "Of course you can, if you want to, boot us out again. However, that is not a good idea and I can not adequately protect you here."

Daniel sighed. "Where is this safe house?"

"It's close."

"I'll go pack some things."

An hour later Daniel was carrying his packed bags out of his room and setting them down in the living room when there was a knock at the door. He looked at Reid who calmly looked through the peephole and then opened the front door for Morgan. "Why didn't you use your key?" Reid asked.

"Didn't want to give you a heart attack kid." He looked at Daniel. "I just talked to your neighbor Josh and he said he hasn't noticed any strangers around, or any delivery vans or anything unusual."

"He works though, and he has to sleep some time. He can't watch everything all the time. Nice to see you again Derek. I though you all were on a case."

"We landed at eight a.m. this morning. Looks like I'm back on _your_ case," Morgan remarked.

"Yay!" Daniel commented. "How come?"

"Hotch decided we needed the extra protection. However, even though Strauss agrees it would not be good public relations for anything to happen to you, there is a possibility Morgan could be pulled off again at any time."

"Not good public relations for anything to happen to me? Gee thanks Strauss," Daniel said sarcastically.

"Are we all set?" Morgan asked. When Daniel and Reid nodded he picked up one of Daniel's bags and the trio headed out to the SUV Morgan had come in.

/\

Half an hour later Morgan pulled into the drive thru of a fast food restaurant. "What would you like Pretty Boy?" he asked Reid.

"Morgan, stop calling me that," Reid complained.

Morgan laughed and turned toward the back seat where Daniel was stretched out asleep. "Hey Daniel, would you like something to eat?"

"Not hungry," Daniel mumbled sleepily.

"Come on kid! You're not in training right now."

Daniel sat part way up and looked at where they were. "Okay," he said. "I'll take a Big Mac, fries and a strawberry shake." He sat up straight in the seat as Morgan pulled forward and placed their order. "And two apple pies!" He looked at Reid. "How far are we from where we're going?" he said with a yawn.

"Just down the street," Reid answered.

Once they received their food Morgan pulled the SUV out of the line and headed for the safe house once more. Upon arriving, despite its status as a 'safe house', Morgan checked out the exterior and every room inside prior to allowing Daniel to enter the house. Once he gave the clear sign the three men brought their bags and their food inside. After telling Daniel to 'pick a room' Morgan placed his bags inside the bedroom he had chosen, and he and Reid's bags each inside one of the other two bedrooms.

Daniel plopped down at the kitchen table, reached for his McDonald's bag and said, "So what happens now?"

"Well, we would prefer you didn't run all over the place, but we know we can't stop you, so basically we'll do what we did before. We will have to be extra vigilant about checking to see we're not being followed," Morgan answered.

"Morgan will go pick up your mail and bring it here," Reid added. "That will also give him the opportunity to check things out at your house on a daily basis."

"I feel like I'm in the middle of a spy novel or something with all this subterfuge," Daniel commented.

"Unfortunately Daniel it's necessary," Reid responded.

Daniel sighed. "I know. Hey!" he exclaimed, pushing Morgan's hand away, "Get away from my apple pie! Get your own!"

"I'll trade you my sundae for your two apple pies."

"No!"

"Come on, you have two of them!"

"No!"

Reid could not help laughing as the banter went back and forth between the two men. At least Daniel was in good humor, given the situation he was faced with.

/\/\/\/\


	30. Author's Note

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE **_

Hi Everyone,

Sorry, no actual update!

I apologize for the length of time since my last update. I have been trying to do my best to work on updates, but I have had a bit of writer's block and I have not had the time to work on my story updates that I would like to have. However, I would like to assure you that I have _**not**_, repeat _**not**_ abandoned _'A Force of Nature, Part II'_. I will post an update as soon as I can get to it!

In the meantime, please read my short story _**'8:46'**_ at Associated Content. I've had to split up the URL because of FanFiction . net, but you can eliminate the spaces or find the link on my profile. I also welcome your comments on this story after you read it. There is a comment form under the story there.

'_**8:46'**_- A story of September 11, 2001- A young man who could have died September 11, 2001 is left to deal with his survival and to question why he lived when so many others did not.

http : / www . associatedcontent . com / article / 8331355 / 846 . html ? cat = 44

http : / www. associatedcontent . com / article / 8331355 / 846 . html ? cat = 44

Thanks everyone for your patience!

Gail, aka 'SayidRocks'


	31. Chapter 30

**Author's Note: **I'm sorry for the delay everyone! I just haven't had time to write; I've had writer's block and I haven't been able to keep up with the show as well as I would like to. Thank you for your patience! This one is getting close to the end, but we're not quite there yet…

'_**A Force of Nature: Part II'**_

Chapter Thirty

Reid looked up from his laptop as Daniel walked into the living room of the safe house. "What are you doing up?" he asked.

"I couldn't sleep. What about you?"

"I'm working on an article for _Psychology Today_."

Daniel sat down at the table across from Reid. "What's the article about?"

"Long term psychological effects of enforced isolation on victims held captive for extended periods of time."

Daniel stared at him. "Uh, hunh." He thought for a moment. "You mean something like Jaycee Dugard?"

Reid nodded. "That's definitely a test case for a topic like this."

"But she did have contact with the couple that kidnapped her though, plus her children, right?"

Reid nodded. "She did. However, she was isolated from her family and the rest of the world for eighteen years."

"That's true." He watched Reid type for a few minutes. "How long is your article?"

"Around 5,000 words."

"That isn't very long for an article on a topic that in depth is it?"

"No, it isn't. The article is general and doesn't go into real depth on any particular case. It's more of an overview on the topic."

"Oh, okay." Daniel sat and watched Reid as he worked at his laptop. "So Spencer, are you working on any more ideas for articles right now?"

Reid looked up at him. "Why do you ask Daniel?"

"Oh, I don't know. I guess I was just curious."

"Why?"

"Well… Because."

Reid looked at him for a minute. "Daniel, are you bored?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Because you are asking me so many questions."

"Am I annoying you Spencer?"

"Yes, you are Daniel."

Daniel shrugged. "Sorry Spencer. Would you like me to go away?"

Reid sighed. "Of course not Daniel."

"If you do, just say so."

"I'm _**fine**_, Daniel!"

"I just want to make sure Spencer."

"Enough Daniel."

"Okay, fine then."

"What an intelligent conversation," Morgan commented as he walked into the room. "What are you two doing up anyway?"

"Spencer is writing an article and I'm annoying him."

"I never said that Daniel."

"Yes, you did. I asked if I was annoying you and you said yes."

"But I never said, Daniel you are annoying me."

Morgan sighed. "Another one of these inane conversations I used to be privy to when we first started this gig." He looked at Reid first and then Daniel. "_**Must**_ you two argue like two little boys about something this silly?"

"Yes, why not? I can't sleep and I was bored with what I could find on television."

Reid saved his file, saved his file, and then signed off and closed his laptop. "I give up! I can not work with all of these distractions."

"Why don't you admit it, kid. You didn't feel like working on your article, so you used Daniel and I as an excuse to not do it."

"Whatever Morgan," Reid said as he stood up. "I am going to bed. You two clowns can do whatever you want."

"Bed? Why bother going to bed now? It's after five am.," Morgan said.

"But it's before six, therefore I'm going to sleep."

"What if I want to stay up?" Daniel asked. "Who is going to protect me?"

"What do I look like?" Morgan asked.

Daniel looked at him. "You look like someone who could tackle an Unsub if he needed to, but is afraid to go ice skating."

"Daniel, I am _**not**_ afraid to go ice skating," Morgan insisted.

"Right. What you're really afraid of is falling in front of pretty women like Olivia."

Morgan walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. As he poured himself a glass of milk he insisted, "I am not."

"Yes, you are," Reid said.

"Who asked you anyway, kid?" Reid shrugged as Morgan walked out of the kitchen and into the living room. "I'm not afraid to go skating," he repeated.

"Whatever you say, Derek," Daniel remarked with a smirk.

Reid and Daniel both laughed as Morgan glared at them both. "Are we going to the rink today?" Reid asked.

Daniel shrugged. "I don't know. My two programs for the skating show in New York still need some work, but I'm not sure if I feel like going."

"What are you going to do if you don't go? Hang around the house all day and be bored?" Reid asked.

"I can find something to do," Daniel replied, as he plopped down on the couch. A few seconds later he smiled. "Hey, I just remembered Olivia is going to be at the rink today. We definitely are going to the rink now. This is your chance, Derek. If we go to the rink you can skate with Olivia."

"I told you Daniel, I don't skate."

"Humph," Reid snorted. "You're just afraid of falling on your butt in front of a pretty woman."

"I most certainly am not," Morgan protested.

"Then why won't you skate with Olivia?" Reid persisted.

"Because!"

"Because why?"

"Because I have to be on the lookout for threats at all times," Morgan insisted.

"Oh, sure!" Daniel laughed. "What a cop out that is!"

"That's not fair, Daniel. He really does need to be on the lookout for threats," Reid grinned.

"He can be on the lookout from the ice, can't he?"

"No," Morgan insisted. "Suppose something happens and I'm standing there with blades on my feet? How can I respond quickly?"

"I have a feeling you wouldn't be standing on the blades at all, and that's what you're afraid of," Reid insisted.

"Kid, I'm telling you…"

Reid laughed at Morgan as Daniel said, "You know Derek, you're really not very convincing."

Morgan decided to give up on the argument for the time being. He picked up his glass of milk, glared at the other two men and headed back for the bedroom. After he shut the door behind him Daniel looked at Reid again. "Do you think we can ever get him out there on the ice, Spencer?"

Reid snickered. "I don't know, Daniel. I'm just enjoying having something to tease Morgan about since he's so often teasing me about something or other." After tucking his laptop under his arm he continued, "I'm thinking the only way we'll get him out there on the ice is if Olivia can convince him herself."

"I'll talk to her when we get there today. Derek played football, right?"

"Yes, he did."

"You know, football players have done really well on _Dancing With the Stars_, so why not out on the ice?"

"Dancers don't stand up on quarter inch wide metal blades, Daniel."

"That's true. But Derek doesn't strike me as being clumsy."

"He normally isn't. But this is a different situation for him," Reid laughed.

**XX**

"What are you making?" Reid asked a few hours later he walked into the kitchen.

"I'm putting some home made chili in the slow cooker," Morgan asserted. "It should be ready around six pm., just in time for dinner."

"Great," Reid answered. "I like chili." He looked at Morgan. "I was thinking..."

"Do you ever do anything else, kid?"

"Ha, ha, Morgan."

"What were you thinking about?"

"How long this is going to go on, I guess. How long do you think Strauss will allow us to stick with this case?"

Morgan sighed. "I don't know. Like we said before, it wouldn't look good for anything to happen to Daniel. I think as long as the rest of us are available if needed, they'll allow you, at least, to remain with Daniel. This most recent incident with the cameras made it obvious our assistance is still necessary."

"I like Daniel of course; however, I wold sure love for this to be over."

"So would I." Reid and Morgan both turned around as Daniel came down the hallway and then sat at the kitchen table.

"Ah, come on, Daniel," Morgan joked. "You know you love hanging around with us."

"And bothering Reid," Reid added.

"That comes under the heading of 'fun'," Daniel joked.

Reid glared at him. "Yes, I've figured that out by now. Like when you made me go shopping."

"But the girls thought you looked great," Daniel said.

"And you needed clothes," Morgan added. "I don't think we bought everything on Garcia's list, though."

"And didn't JJ think you needed some 'sexy cologne' as she put it?" Daniel said.

"No! No more shopping!" Reid insisted. "I already spent too much money, and I have enough clothes."

"Shoes, you need more shoes," Daniel said.

"Nothing! I need nothing!" Reid insisted. When Morgan snickered he continued, "Why don't we shop for you?"

"Be glad to," Morgan responded. "However, I don't really need anything. I'm perfect as is."

"Oh brother," Reid said. He shook his head as Morgan laughed and Daniel snickered.

**XX**

"How many times do I have to tell you two clowns, I am _**not**_ going to skate?" Morgan glared at a smirking Reid as Daniel held a pair of ice skates for him in his hand.

"Derek, you're being ridiculous!" Daniel insisted.

Just as Morgan opened his mouth to reply he heard a feminine voice call out to them. "Daniel, there you are!" The three men turned around to see Olivia coming toward them from the rink's dressing room. "Oh, hello Agent Morgan! It's nice to see you again." She glanced at Daniel holding the pair of skates. "I see Daniel found some skates for you. Does this mean you're going to skate with me today?" She smiled at Morgan as she slipped her arm through his.

Morgan glared at Reid and Daniel. "I'm not sure from a security standpoint if that's a good idea," he said.

"I know you have to do your job, Agent Morgan. But the doors are locked while Daniel is here by your request, and you can easily see the front door anyway," Olivia replied.

"I couldn't respond quickly if I'm out on the ice," Morgan protested.

"That's the same argument he tried to hand _us_," Daniel said.

"Come on, Agent Morgan!" Olivia insisted. "I'll even help you put on your skates."

Morgan sighed. "Well...okay." He glared at Daniel and Reid as Olivia lead him over to a nearby bench to help him lace up his skates.

Half an hour later neither Daniel nor Reid were mocking Morgan, who was guiding easily over the ice under Olivia's tutelage. "I guess dancing was a good analogy after all," Reid remarked. "Morgan can dance, and obviously he can also skate."

Daniel looked down at the small video camera he held in his hand. "It looks like we're not going to get any mileage out of this footage," he said.

Reid sighed. "Only if Morgan doesn't want people to know he went skating. We certainly don't have any falling down or even much slipping."

"Is he good at everything?" Daniel laughed.

"Pretty much," Reid responded. He looked at Daniel. "It's really quite irritating sometimes."

Daniel laughed. "You can skate better than he can, Spencer."

"But I can't dance very well."

"Neither can I, to be honest."

"I don't know how you can skate as well as you do and not be able to dance."

"I didn't say I couldn't dance at all, just that I can't dance very well. If I ever get to go out dancing with Penelope you'll notice that very quickly."

"I still say you can't be that bad of a dancer."

"I didn't say I was bad, Spencer. I said I didn't dance very well. There's a difference." He handed Reid the video camera. "I better get out there and do some skating."

Reid watched as Daniel headed out to the ice and did some warm up stroking around the rink before skating several large circles around Morgan and Olivia. "Daniel, what are you trying to do?" Morgan asked.

"Nothing, just skating a few circles around you."

"Why?"

Daniel shrugged as he glided backward in a counter-clockwise circle around Morgan and Olivia. "I just feel like skating around in circles."

"What you feel like doing is finding a way to make me fall," Morgan responded.

"Now, why would I want to do that?" Daniel grinned.

"I can't imagine," Olivia piped in. "But if you don't knock it off, I'm going to kick your butt, Daniel."

Daniel snorted, turned his back on the couple and skated off in the opposite direction. Reid shook his head as Daniel started to practice spins on one end of the rink, while Morgan and Olivia continued to glide side by side at the other end. After another half hour Morgan indicated his feet were beginning to bother him, and Olivia guided him off the ice. "You're not used to wearing skates yet," she said, as they sat down on a bench near Reid. "If you come back for more lessons, you'll get used to how the skates feel, and your feet won't bother you any longer. Maybe you can even buy your own pair of skates instead of renting a pair from the rink."

"I still don't know how I feel about this skating thing," Morgan said.

Olivia laughed. "I can have you skating backward with confidence within a few weeks. Maybe we could try some simple jumps and spins, or you could consider some dance moves."

"I don't know about that," Morgan said doubtfully.

A small shower of ice particles landed on Morgan as Daniel skated to an abrupt halt just inches from the boards. "Come on, Derek! Dancing is something you know how to do. Why not try it on the ice?"

"How about not trying to turn me into a human snow cone?" Morgan glared.

"I didn't do it on purpose," Daniel grinned.

"The heck you didn't!"

Olivia laughed. "You gentleman are something else!" She turned to Morgan. "When can I see you at the rink again, Derek?"

Daniel leaned on the boards, while Reid leaned toward Morgan as they both awaited his answer. "Uh... Well, it depends on the case. I could be called off at any time. I, uh, guess maybe the next time I'm here with Daniel."

Olivia stood up. "That's great, Derek! Just let me know, and I'll try to be here. Right now I have to get to work. I have a part time job at a boutique a couple miles away. I'll catch you later, then."

After Olivia walked away, Morgan looked up at the ceiling and said, "Thank you so much for not having me fall." When Daniel snickered, he glared at him. "Daniel, one of these days..." He was interrupted by the ringing of his cell phone. "It's JJ," he informed Reid. He stood up, and walked a few feet away in his stocking feet with the phone pressed to his ear.

"Did you at least get the snow shower?" Daniel asked Reid.

"Yes, but that isn't much to have fun with," Reid frowned.

Daniel sighed. "Well, I guess we'll have to come up with something else to tease Derek with. Now that he's actually gone skating, and done okay, we can't use that any longer." He pushed himself away from the boards as Morgan walked back over to them.

"Guess what, kid?" Morgan asked.

"You're heading out again?" Reid said.

"Good guess," Morgan responded. "Yes, I'm heading out again. We're off to North Dakota, of all places." He looked at Daniel. "Let's cut this short. Get your things together, and I'll drop you at the house before I join the rest of the team. Maybe I can put some of my chili in a container or something."

Daniel grabbed his skate guards, put them on, and then stepped off the ice. "It's back to you and me again, Spencer!"

"What details do you have on the case?" Reid asked Morgan as they headed for the locker room.

"Don't worry, kid! Once I have something to give you, I will. You can still help solve the case."

"Thanks Morgan," Reid said. The three men walked into the locker room, put on their athletic shoes, grabbed their bags, and headed out the door. After dropping Morgan's rented skates off at the counter they left the skating rink and climbed into the SUV for the drive back to the safe house.

**XXXX**

A/N: Once again Reid and Daniel will be by themselves to drive each other crazy. What could possibly go wrong?


End file.
